Space as a tool for astrobiology: review and recommendations for experimentations in Earth orbit and beyond
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Published version
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The space environment is regularly used for experiments addressing astrobiology research
goals. The specific conditions prevailing in Earth orbit and beyond, notably the radiative
environment (photons and energetic particles) and the possibility to conduct
long
-
duration
measurements, have been the main motivations for developing experimental concepts to
expose chemical or biological samples to outer space, or to use the reentry of a spacecraft on
Earth to simulate the fall of a meteorite. This paper
represe
nts
an overview of past and current
research in astrobiology conducted in Earth orbit and beyond, with a special focus on ESA
missions such as
Biopan
, STONE (on Russian FOTON capsules) and EXPOSE facilities (outside
the International Space Station). The fu
ture of exposure platforms is discussed, notably how
they can be improved for better science return, and how to incorporate the use of small
satellites such as those built in cubesat format.
goals. The specific conditions prevailing in Earth orbit and beyond, notably the radiative
environment (photons and energetic particles) and the possibility to conduct
long
-
duration
measurements, have been the main motivations for developing experimental concepts to
expose chemical or biological samples to outer space, or to use the reentry of a spacecraft on
Earth to simulate the fall of a meteorite. This paper
represe
nts
an overview of past and current
research in astrobiology conducted in Earth orbit and beyond, with a special focus on ESA
missions such as
Biopan
, STONE (on Russian FOTON capsules) and EXPOSE facilities (outside
the International Space Station). The fu
ture of exposure platforms is discussed, notably how
they can be improved for better science return, and how to incorporate the use of small
satellites such as those built in cubesat format.
Date Issued
2017-06-20
Date Acceptance
2017-04-05
Citation
Space Science Reviews, 2017, 209 (1-4), pp.83-181
ISSN
1572-9672
Publisher
Springer Verlag
Start Page
83
End Page
181
Journal / Book Title
Space Science Reviews
Volume
209
Issue
1-4
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2017
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
License URL
Sponsor
The Royal Society
The Royal Society
Grant Number
UF080820
UF130324
Subjects
0201 Astronomical And Space Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Publication Status
Published