Rabbow, Elke and Parpart, André and Reitz, Günther (2015) The Planetary and Space Simulation Facilities at DLR Cologne. Microgravity Science and Technology, 28 (3), pp. 215-229. Springer. doi: 10.1007/s12217-015-9448-7. ISSN 0938-0108.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9448-7
Abstract
Astrobiology strives to increase our knowledge on the origin, evolution and distribution of life, on Earth and beyond. In the past centuries, life has been found on Earth in environments with extreme conditions that were expected to be uninhabitable. Scientific investigations of the underlying metabolic mechanisms and strategies that lead to the high adaptability of these extremophile organisms increase our understanding of evolution and distribution of life on Earth. Life as we know it depends on the availability of liquid water. Exposure of organisms to defined and complex extreme environmental conditions, in particular those that limit the water availability, allows the investigation of the survival mechanisms as well as an estimation of the possibility of the distribution to and survivability on other celestial bodies of selected organisms. Space missions in low Earth orbit (LEO) provide access for experiments to complex environmental conditions not available on Earth, but studies on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of adaption to these hostile conditions and on the limits of life cannot be performed exclusively in space experiments. Experimental space is limited and allows only the investigation of selected endpoints. An additional intensive ground based program is required, with easy to access facilities capable to simulate space and planetary environments, in particular with focus on temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition and short wavelength solar ultraviolet radiation (UV). DLR Cologne operates a number of Planetary and Space Simulation facilities (PSI) where microorganisms from extreme terrestrial environments or known for their high adaptability are exposed for mechanistic studies. Space or planetary parameters are simulated individually or in combination in temperature controlled vacuum facilities equipped with a variety of defined and calibrated irradiation sources. The PSI support basic research and were recurrently used for pre-flight test programs for several astrobiological space missions. Parallel experiments on ground provided essential complementary data supporting the scientific interpretation of the data received from the space missions.
Item URL in elib: | https://elib.dlr.de/98299/ | ||||||||||||
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Document Type: | Article | ||||||||||||
Title: | The Planetary and Space Simulation Facilities at DLR Cologne | ||||||||||||
Authors: |
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Date: | 2015 | ||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Microgravity Science and Technology | ||||||||||||
Refereed publication: | Yes | ||||||||||||
Open Access: | No | ||||||||||||
Gold Open Access: | No | ||||||||||||
In SCOPUS: | Yes | ||||||||||||
In ISI Web of Science: | Yes | ||||||||||||
Volume: | 28 | ||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1007/s12217-015-9448-7 | ||||||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 215-229 | ||||||||||||
Publisher: | Springer | ||||||||||||
ISSN: | 0938-0108 | ||||||||||||
Status: | Published | ||||||||||||
Keywords: | Astrobiology, Ground simulation facilities, Space experiment, Extreme environments, Extremophiles | ||||||||||||
HGF - Research field: | Aeronautics, Space and Transport | ||||||||||||
HGF - Program: | Space | ||||||||||||
HGF - Program Themes: | Research under Space Conditions | ||||||||||||
DLR - Research area: | Raumfahrt | ||||||||||||
DLR - Program: | R FR - Research under Space Conditions | ||||||||||||
DLR - Research theme (Project): | R - Vorhaben Strahlenbiologie (old) | ||||||||||||
Location: | Köln-Porz | ||||||||||||
Institutes and Institutions: | Institute of Aerospace Medicine > Radiation Biology | ||||||||||||
Deposited By: | Kopp, Kerstin | ||||||||||||
Deposited On: | 24 Sep 2015 15:15 | ||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 14 Jun 2016 13:23 |
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