EXPOSE-E An ESA Astrobiology Mission 1.5 Years in Space

EXPOSE-E
An ESA Astrobiology Mission
    1.5 Years in Space

From:
                                            Elke Rabbow et al (2012)
ASTROBIOLOGY
Volume 12, Number 5, 2012                   Radiation Biology Department,
ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.                    Institute of Aerospace Medicine,
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0760                  German Aerospace Center (DLR),
                                            Cologne, Germany

Gerhard Weihs SE Astrobiologie WS 2012/13
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Outline

What is EXPOSE-E?
EXPOSE-E onboard of ISS with Columbus module
EXPOSE-E payload
Astrobiological Experiments
   Experiment PROCESS
   Experiment ADAPT
   Experiment PROTECT
   Experiment LIFE
   Experiment SEEDS
Summary

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What is EXPOSE?

EXPOSE is a series of experiments for
 Astrobiology and Radiobiology at ISS designed
 by ESA:

    EXPOSE-E 15.2.08–2.9.09
    EXPOSE-R 10.3.09–21.1.11
    EXPOSE-R2 2012...

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What is EXPOSE-E?

EXPOSE-E is a long term experiment of 1.5 years of
exposition to space onboard of the ISS to enable
astrobiology research.

EXPOSE-E is a suitcase-size box filled with biological,
chemical and dosimetrical samples (664 organic
compounds and a variety of living organisms)

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EXPOSE-E onboard of ISS as a testbed
         for Astrobiology

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Where is EXPOSE-E?

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ISS - Columbus Module

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EXPOSE-E payload
Trays 1 and 3: Space vacuum,
Tray 2: Simulated martian surface conditions

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Cells for samples

Open cells for solid samples

   Closed cells for gaseous
                    samples

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Exposure Conditions

Vacuum
Extraterrestical radiation (UV )
Galactic cosmical rays
Extreme temperatur fluctuations
Microgravity
Time

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Sample Exposure Principle

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EXPOSE-E: Astrobiological Tests

 ISS: Samples in 3 trays were exposed to selected
space conditions.

  Data on UV radiation, cosmic radiation, and temperature were
  measured every 10 s and downlinked to the ground station.

DLR: A parallel mission ground reference (MGR)
experiment was performed with a parallel set of
hardware and samples under simulated space
conditions.

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EXPOSE-E Trays Conditions (1)

Trays 1 and 3: Space vacuum

   two intensities of solar
   radiation
    quartz windows (down to 190nm)
    MgF2 *) windows allow the
    transmission of UV down to 115
     nm
   galactic cosmic rays
   temperature fluctuation.
                                          λ
    *) transparent between 115 nm (VUV)
       and 8.0 µm (infrared).

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EXPOSE-E Trays Conditions (2)

Tray 2: Simulated martian surface conditions

   CO2 - atmosphere composed of:
    1.6% argon, 0.15% oxygen, and 2.7% nitrogen, and
    370 ppm H2O
     starting pressure of 103 Pa (Earth 106 Pa)

    Quartz window for tray 2 > 200 nm, plus a filter
    to cutoff 50% transmission at 216nm (NUV).
    galactic cosmic rays
    temperature fluctuation.

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EXPOSE-E Trays Monitoring
Sensors for UV radiation, galactic cosmic rays, and
temperature.

Temperature regulations of EXPOSE-E between
53°C and – 25°C;

All data on UV radiation, cosmic radiation, and
temperature were measured every 10 s and
downlinked by telemetry.
                                      λ

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EXPOSE-E Mission Ground Reference
             (MGR)

For the entire MGR duration of 1.5 years, pressure and
atmospheric composition, temperature fluctuations, and
UV radiation 200–400nm (with a solar simulator) were
mimiced as far as technically possible.

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Experiments

Astrobiological Experiment
  PROCESS
  ADAPT
  PROTECT
  LIFE
  SEEDS

Dosimetry
  DOSIS/DOBIES
  R3DE

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Experiment PROCESS

PROCESS
Prebiotic Organic Chemistry on Space Station

Examination of the chemical nature and evolution of
organic molecules involved in extraterrestrial
environments and with exobiological implications.

Many experimental programs are devoted to
photochemical studies of molecules in the gaseous
phase as well as in the solid state.

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PROCESS: Prebiotic Organic
Chemistry on Space Station

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Experiment ADAPT

ADAPT
Molecular adaptation strategies of micro-
organisms to different space and planetary UV
climate conditions

Investigation on the capability of micro-organisms to
adapt to UV levels like those on Earth and on Mars.

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ADAPT: Adaptation strategies of micro-
  organismsto different space and
   planetary UV climate conditions

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Experiment PROTECT

PROTECT
Resistance of spacecraft isolates to outer space
for planetary protection purposes

Some microorganisms can resist to all sterilization
procedures applied nowadays.

PROTECT measures the resistance of such
organisms to space conditions in order to develop
adequate decontamination procedures.

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PROTECT: Resistance of spacecraft
isolates to outer space for planetary
        protection purposes

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Experiment PROTECT - results

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Experiment LIFE

LIFE
Resistance of lichens and lithic fungi to space
conditions

Lithic fungi and lichens, thriving on Earth in extreme
environments, are tested for their rate of survival in
open space.

A subset of samples is exposed to simulated Martian
conditions.

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LIFE: Resistance of lichens and lithic
      fungi to space conditions

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Experiment LIFE - Antartic

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Experiment SEEDS

SEEDS
  Plant seed as a terrestrial model for a panspermia
  vehicle and as a source of universal UV screens.

  The objective of SEEDS is therefore to determine the
  resistance of plant seeds when exposed to the open
  space environment with full exposure to solar UV-C
  on a long-duration flight.

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Experiment SEEDS - Results

Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum
(tobacco) seeds 23% produced viable plants after
exposure for 1.5 years to full space conditions
including solar UV.
The highest survival occurred in tobacco (44%).

These results indicate that an unprotected, seed-like
entity could survive exposure to solar UV radiation
during a hypothetical transfer between Mars and
Earth.

Full survival was attained in seeds shielded from
solar light, indicating that a longer space travel would
be possible for seeds embedded in an opaque
matrix.                                                    29

Dosimetry Experiments

DOSIS & DOBIES
Radiation Dose Distribution inside EXPOSE
Measurement of the total radiation dose inside EXPOSE-E in
close vicinity of the test samples.

R3D-E
Active monitoring of UV and ionizing radiation
The R3D (Radiation Risks Radiometer-Dosimeter) is a device
which records, with time resolution, the dose of solar light over
four wavelength ranges (UV-A, UV-B, UV-C and photosynthetic
active light) as well as the flux of cosmic particles.
The R3D is delivering the history of solar irradiation and cosmic
radiation as experienced during the mission.

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Summary

All samples were successfully transported to space, exposed
for 1.5 years to the specific space conditions, and returned to
Earth safely for final analysis.
Known problems on ISS: shadowing, data loss, and the safety
concern.

Future: A new generation of scientific long-duration, free-flying
satellites with the capacity to return to Earth via autonomous
reentry.
The next generation of space exposure facilities should include
realtime in situ monitoring of the phenomena and their kinetics
.

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References

Elke Rabbow, Petra Rettberg, Simon Barczyk, Maria Bohmeier, Andre´
Parpart, Corinna Panitz, Gerda Horneck, Ralf von Heise-Rotenburg, Tom
Hoppenbrouwers, Rainer Willnecker, Pietro Baglioni, Rene´ Demets, Jan
Dettmann, and Guenther Reitz , "EXPOSE-E: An ESA Astrobiology Mission
1.5 Years in Space" , Volume 12, Number 5, 2012
Marko Wassmann, Ralf Moeller, Günther Reitz, and Petra Rettberg
"Adaptation of Bacillus subtilis Cells to Archean-Like UV Climate: Relevant
                                      ≤
Hints of Microbial Evolution to Remarkably Increased Radiation Resistance"
ASTROBIOLOGY Volume 10, Number 6, 2010
 Astrobio iss ss2011.pdf (DLR )
https://www.univie.ac.at/physikwiki/index.php/Datei:Astrobio_iss_ss20
11.pdf

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Thanks for your
   Attention

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