BIOPAN is a multi-user research program by the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

(ESA) designed to investigate the effect of the space environment on biological material. The experiments in BIOPAN are exposed to

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

and

cosmic radiation Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...

, the space vacuum and weightlessness, or a selection thereof. Optionally, the experiment temperature can be stabilized. BIOPAN hosts

astrobiology Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that investig ...

, radiobiology and materials science experiments. The BIOPAN facility is installed on the external surface of Russian Foton descent capsules protruding from the thermal blanket that envelops the satellite.

Design and features

The BIOPAN program started in the early nineties with an ESA contract for the a joint development by Kayser-Threde and

Kayser Italia Kayser is a derivation of the Germanic Kaiser surname, and may refer to: * Kayser (surname) * Kayser (band), a Swedish thrash metal band * Kayser (unit) in spectroscopy, equal to reciprocal centimeter * Kayser Airstrip, small airport in Suriname * ...

. It was based on the heritage of a low-tech Russian exposure container called KNA (''Kontejner Nauchnoj Apparatury''). The BIOPAN facilities are installed on the external surface of Foton descent capsules. It has a motor-driven hinged lid, which opens 180° in Earth orbit to expose the experiment samples to the harsh space environment. For re-entry, the closed facility is protected with an Ablative heat shield. The BIOPAN facilities are equipped with thermometers, UV sensors, a

radiometer A radiometer or roentgenometer is a device for measuring the radiant flux (power) of electromagnetic radiation. Generally, a radiometer is an infrared radiation detector or an ultraviolet detector. Microwave radiometers operate in the microwave w ...

, a pressure sensor and an active radiation dosimeter. Data acquired by the sensors is stored by BIOPAN throughout each mission and can be accessed after flight. The possibility of overheating during atmospheric re-entry was acknowledged early during the development, therefore, a quite massive heat shield was designed for it. While the total weight of BIOPAN is close to 27 kg, including the experiments, the heat shield is responsible for 12 kg of that figure. The BIOPAN electronics consists of the following units: signal acquisition board, microcontroller board with its flight software, memory board and EGSE.

Missions

The missions flown so far are:Surviving the Final Frontier
25 November 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:BIOPAN Astrobiology space missions Cosmic rays Extremophiles Microbial growth and nutrition Molecular biology Space exposure experiments Space-flown life Space hardware returned to Earth intact

Design and features

Missions

See also

References