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Topic Name: UK samples set for a taste of space
Category: Aeronautical
Research persons: Gill Ormrod, Franco Bonacina, Dr Mark Sims, Dr David Cullen, Professor Charles Cockell
Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1SZ ,, United Kingdom
Details
Samples of micro organisms, antibodies, fluorescent dyes and
rock from Devon are amongst a European payload which will be sent into near
Earth orbit this week onboard an unmanned Russian spacecraft - exposing them to
the extreme conditions found in space.
The Foton - M3 capsule will be launched by a Soyuz rocket from
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday 14th September at 12 noon BST (1700
local time). After 9 minutes of propelled flight the Foton will reach a low
earth orbit where it will remain for 11.8 days before the re-entry capsule will
return to Earth.
The Foton-M3 will be carrying a European payload of 400 kg
covering experiments in a wide range of disciplines including fluid physics,
biology, crystal growth, meteoritics, radiation dosimetry and exobiology.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Biopan facility which is
attached to the outside of the Foton will be used to expose experiment samples
directly to the space environment in order to study the impact of space's
extreme temperatures, ultraviolet, cosmic and other solar radiation, and
near-perfect vacuum.
Amongst the samples that make up the Biopan payload are the
following which are in part funded by the Science and Technology Facilities
Council (STFC):-
- Antibodies and fluorescent dyes to be used in the Life Marker Chip (LMC)
instrument that is being developed under UK lead for ESA's ExoMars mission
- Micro organisms for ESA's STONE artificial meteorite experiment
- Rock samples containing micro organisms from cliffs at Beer, East Devon
The LMC will look for specific molecules associated with life by
detecting biomarkers. Such techniques have been developed in the medical and
biotechnology sectors but have not been used in space before. LMC lead scientist
Dr Mark Sims from University of Leicester, comments, "Space is inherently a
risky business but there are only so many tests that you can do on the ground.
Biopan provides us with a platform to expose biological samples to a space
environment and gives us the opportunity to expose our biosensor components to a
space radiation environment in order to confirm their survivability."
Dr David Cullen, LMC scientist and lead scientist on the LMC on
Biopan experiment, from Cranfield University adds, "We will be testing the
effect of various extreme environments encountered during space flight of
antibodies and fluorescent dyes such as the effects of launch and re-entry,
ground handling and the space radiation environment - all critical issues for a
future Mars mission."
Also onboard Biopan, all be it on the outside of the capsule,
are samples of micro organisms that make up the ESA STONE artificial meteorite
experiment. The organisms are dried onto the underside of several artificial
meteorites made from sedimentary and igneous rocks which are attached to the
outside of the heat shield - exposing them fully to the space environment.
This follows up an experiment flown on the previous Foton flight
which demonstrated how the atmospheric transit of organisms acts as a strong
biogeographical dispersal filter to the interplanetary transfer of
photosynthesis. This time the experiment will focus on whether by being on the
underside of different materials effects the survival of organisms during
atmospheric entry.
Professor of Microbiology and STONE scientist Charles Cockell
from The Open University explains further, "This work advances our knowledge of
how island biogeography might work on an interplanetary scale. We know that life
can make it from continent to continent, but what about from planet to planet?
Of course, at the moment we don't know of life on another planet, but this
experiment is an intriguing test of an interplanetary version of an old
ecological question and can at least tell us whether the Earth has always
remained a biological island in space."
Professor Cockell adds, "We will also be sending up samples of
rock from Beer in Devon as part of experiment called LITHOPANSPERMIA. The
samples contain diverse photosynthetic organisms. This is to test the ability of
organisms to survive in interplanetary conditions. Photosynthesis is the basis
of a productive biosphere, so understanding its ability to be transferred
between planets is of great interest. "
The re-entry capsule is scheduled to land in a remote area on
the Russian/Kazahkstan border on 26th September where it will be recovered by a
specialist team. The samples from the ESA experiments will first be transported
to its ESTEC facility in the Netherlands and then to various other institutions
for further analysis.
For related ESA materials and to follow the progress of the
mission see
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMN5ZMPQ5F_FeatureWeek_0.html
About The Researchers
Gill Ormrod - Science and Technology Facilities Council Press
Office
Tel: 01793 442012. Mobile : 0781 8013509
Email: gill.ormrod@stfc.ac.uk
Franco Bonacina - ESA Media Relations
Tel: : +33 (0) 1 5369 7155
Email: Franco.Bonacina1@esa.int
UK Science Contacts
Dr Mark Sims - University of Leicester
Tel: 0116 2523513
Email: mrs@star.le.ac.uk
Dr David Cullen - Cranfield University
Tel: 01525 863538
Email: d.cullen@cranfield.ac.uk
Professor Charles Cockell - The Open University
Tel: 01908 652588
Email: c.s.cockell@open.ac.uk
Some Important links:
For images of Foton capsules, samples, the LMC module and the
cliffs at Beer contact Gill Ormrod - details above. They will also be available
at http://www.stfc.ac.uk
Foton missions For further details of the Foton missions see
http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/users/index.cfm?act=default.page&level=11&page=facfoton
European involvement in Foton missions
The European Space Agency has been participating in this kind of
mission for 20 years and the twelve day Foton-M3 mission becomes the twelfth
such mission with ESA involvement.
The mission is part of an agreement signed between ESA and the
Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on 21st October 2003. The agreement
covered two Foton flights (Foton-M2 and Foton-M3), which have a combined total
of 660kg of ESA supplied scientific payloads onboard.
Biopan has a motor driven, hinged lid and is equipped with
devices and sensors that measure the various aspects of the environment to which
the experiments are subjected. Once Foton is in orbit, a telecommand is sent
from the ground and the lid opens to expose the samples to the environment. At
the end of the mission, another command is sent and the lid closes. Since Biopan
is on the outside of the Foton, it also has its own ablative heat shield to
protect the facility and samples during the space craft's re-entry and landing.
Science and Technology Facilities Council
The Science and Technology Facilities Council ensures the UK
retains its leading place on the world stage by delivering world-class science;
accessing and hosting international facilities; developing innovative
technologies; and increasing the socio-economic impact of its research through
effective knowledge exchange partnerships.
The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy,
Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science,
Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. In addition the
Council manages and operates three internationally renowned laboratories:
* The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire
* The Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire
* The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh
The Council gives researchers access to world-class facilities
and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European
Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL),
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European organisation for
Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the European Space
Agency (ESA). It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La
Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility,
which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.
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