NASA's Biosatellite program was a series of three uncrewed

artificial satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisoto ...

s to assess the effects of spaceflight, especially radiation and weightlessness, on living organisms. Each was designed to reenter Earth's atmosphere and be recovered at the end of its mission. Its primary goal was to determine the effects of space environment, particularly weightlessness, on life processes at three levels of organization: basic biochemistry of the cell; structure of growth of cells and tissues; and growth and form of entire plants and animals.

Biosatellite 1

Biosatellite 1, also known as Biosat 1 and Biosatellite A, was the first mission in the Biosatellite program. It was launched on December 14, 1966, by a Delta G rocket from Launch Complex 17A of the

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the statio ...

. Biosatellite 1 was the first series Biosatellite satellites. It was inserted in an initial orbit of 296 km perigee, 309 km apogee and 33.5 degrees of orbital inclination, with a period 90.5 minutes. Biosatellite 1 carried several specimens for the study of the effects of the space environment on biological processes. Prior to reentry, the entry capsule separated from the satellite bus properly, but its deorbit motor failed to ignite, leaving it stranded in a slowly decaying orbit. It re-entered and disintegrated on February 15, 1967.

Biosatellite 2

Biosatellite 2, also known as Biosat 2 and Biosatellite B, was the second mission in the Biosatellite program. It was launched on September 7, 1967, by a Delta G rocket from Launch Complex 17B of the

. Biosatellite 2 carried thirteen biological experiments involving insects, frog eggs, plants and microorganisms. The mission was ended early due to a tropical storm threat. Despite returning approximately a day early, its 45 hours of earth-orbital flight enabled valid conclusions to be made in the thirteen experiments on board, by comparing the onboard samples to earthbound control organisms.

Biosatellite 3

Biosatellite 3, also known as Biosat 3 and Biosatellite D, was the third mission in the Biosatellite program. Though the mission's scientific agenda was a failure, Biosatellite 3 was influential in shaping the life sciences flight experiment program, pointing to the need for centralised management, realistic goals and substantial pre-flight experiment verification testing. The mission objective was to investigate the effect of space flight on

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...

states, behavioural performance, cardiovascular status, fluid and electrolyte balance, and metabolic state.

Table

Gallery

Biosat1.jpg, Biosatellite 1 Biosatellite II.png, Drawing of Biosatellite 2 Biosatelliet3.png, Location of the monkey on the Biosatellite 3

References

External links

Life into Space: 1965-1990
{{Use American English, date=January 2014 NASA satellites NASA programs Astrobiology space missions Space-flown life Animals in space Biosatellites