Expose – R Spores in Artificial Meteorites (Expose-R Spores)
Research Area: Astrobiology
Expedition(s): 18- 26
Principal Investigator(s): ● Gerda Horneck, German Aerospace Centre, Cologne,
Germany
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The Expose-R facility hosts a suite of
astrobiology experiments, some of
which could help understand how life
originated on Earth. This suite of
experiments are accommodated in 3
special sample trays, which are loaded
with a variety of biological samples and
exposed to the harsh environment of
open space for almost 2 years from
March 2009-January 2011. This
experiment studies the survival of
spores of bacteria (Bacillus subtilis),
fungi (Trichoderma koningii), and ferns
(Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris filix-
mas) on a simulated space journey via
meteorites. This includes the study of their resistance against space conditions, ie, solar UV,
vacuum, and cosmic radiation, as well as the degree of protection by meteorite material.
RESULTS
Results from Expose-R-Spores are pending completion of analysis and data evaluation before
conclusive results are prepared and published.
This investigation is complete; however additional results are pending publication.
Sample containers are opened after they are returned to Earth
for analysis. ESA image.