EXPOSE facilities were ESA multiuser facilities mounted outside the International Space Station for astrobiology experiments. Between 2008 and 2016, three series of experiments were conducted involving chemical and biological samples to test their resistance and evolution in the space environment in low Earth orbit. In this Astrobiology special collection, results from two experiments of the EXPOSE-R2 campaign (2014–2016) are presented: Biofilm Organisms Surfing Space (BOSS) relating to biology and Photochemistry on the Space Station (PSS) dealing with astrochemistry.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarattaG.A., AccollaM., ChaputD., CottinH., PalumboM.E., and StrazzullaG. (2019) Photolysis of cometary organic dust analogs on the EXPOSE-R2 mission at the International Space Station. Astrobiology, 19:1018–1036.
2.
BilliD., StaibanoC., VerseuxC., FagliaroneC., MoscaC., BaquéM., RabbowE., and RettbergP. (2019) Dried biofilms of desert strains of Chroococcidiopsis survived prolonged exposure to space and Mars-like conditions in low Earth orbit. Astrobiology, 19:1008–1017.
3.
CottinH., GuanY.Y., NobletA., PochO., SaiaghK., CloixM., MacariF., JéromeM., CollP., RaulinF., StalportF., SzopaC., BertrandM., ChabinA., WestallF., ChaputD., DemetsR., and BrackA. (2012) The PROCESS experiment: an astrochemistry laboratory for solid and gaseous organic samples in low Earth orbit. Astrobiology, 12:412–425.
4.
CottinH., SaiaghK., GuanY.Y., CloixM., KhalafD., MacariF., JéromeM., PolienorJ.-M., BénilanY., CollP., FrayN., GazeauM.-C., RaulinF., StalportF., CarrascoN., SzopaC., BertrandM., ChabinA., WestallF., VergneJ., Da SilvaL.A., MaurelM.-C., ChaputD., DemetsR., and BrackA. (2015a) The AMINO experiment: a laboratory for astrochemistry and astrobiology on the EXPOSE-R facility of the International Space Station. Int J Astrobiol, 14:67–77.
5.
CottinH., SaiaghK., NguyenD., GrandN., BénilanY., CloixM., CollP., GazeauM.-C., FrayN., KhalafD., RaulinF., StalportF., CarrascoN., SzopaC., ChaputD., BertrandM., WestallF., MattiodaA., QuinnR., RiccoA., SantosO., BarattaG., StrazzullaG., PalumboM.E., Le PostollecA., DobrijevicM., CoussotG., VigierF., Vandenabeele-TrambouzeO., IncertiS., and BergerT. (2015b) Photochemical studies in low Earth orbit for organic compounds related to small bodies, Titan and Mars. Current and Future Facilities, Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège 84:60–73.
6.
CottinH., KotlerJ.M., BilliD., CockellC., DemetsR., EhrenfreundP., ElsaesserA., d'HendecourtL., van LoonJ.J.W.A., MartinsZ., OnofriS., QuinnR.C., RabbowE., RettbergP., RiccoA.J., SlenzkaK., de la TorreR., de VeraJ.-P., WestallF., CarrascoN., FresneauA., KawaguchiY., KebukawaY., NguyenD., PochO., SaiaghK., StalportF., YamagishiA., YanoH., and KlammB.A. (2017) Space as a tool for astrobiology: review and recommendations for experimentations in Earth orbit and beyond. Space Sci Rev, 209:83–181.
7.
CoussotG., Le PostollecA., FayeC., BaquéM., Vandenabeele-TrambouzeO., IncertiS., VigierF., ChaputD., CottinH., PrzybylaB., BergerT., and DobrijevicM. (2019a) Photochemistry on the Space Station—antibody resistance to space conditions after exposure outside the International Space Station. Astrobiology, 19:1053–1062.
8.
CoussotG., Le PostollecA., IncertiS., BaquéM., FayeC., Vandenabeele-TrambouzeO., CottinH., RaveletC., PeyrinE., FioreE., VigierF., CaronJ., ChaputD., PrzybylaB., BergerT., and DobrijevicM. (2019b) Photochemistry on the Space Station—aptamer resistance to space conditions: particle exposure from irradiation facilities and real exposure outside the International Space Station. Astrobiology, 19:1063–1074.
9.
de VeraJ.-P., AlawiM., BackhausT., BaquéM., BilliD., BöttgerU., BergerT., BohmeierM., CockellC., DemetsR., de la Torre NoetzelR., EdwardsH., ElsaesserA., FagliaroneC., FiedlerA., FoingB., FoucherF., FritzJ., HankeF., HerzogT., HorneckG., HübersH.-W., HuweB., JoshiJ., KozyrovskaN., KruchtenM., LaschP., LeeN., LeukoS., LeyaT., LorekA., Martínez-FríasJ., MeessenJ., MoritzS., MoellerR., Olsson-FrancisK., OnofriS., OttS., PacelliC., PodolichO., RabbowE., ReitzG., RettbergP., RevaO., RothschildL., Garcia SanchoL., Schulze-MakuchD., SelbmannL., SerranoP., SzewzykU., VerseuxC., WadsworthJ., WagnerD., WestallF., WolterD., and ZucconiL. (2019) Limits of life and the habitability of Mars: the ESA space experiment BIOMEX on the ISS. Astrobiology, 19:145–157.
10.
PanitzC., FröslerJ., WingenderJ., FlemmingH.-C., and RettbergP. (2019) Tolerances of Deinococcus geothermalis biofilms and planktonic cells exposed to space and simulated martian conditions in low Earth orbit for almost 2 years. Astrobiology, 19:979–994.
11.
RabbowE., RettbergP., BarczykS., BohmeierM., ParpartA., PanitzC., HorneckG., von Heise-RotenburgR., HoppenbrouwersT., WillneckerR., BaglioniP., DemetsR., DettmannJ., and ReitzG. (2012) EXPOSE-E: an ESA astrobiology mission 1.5 years in space. Astrobiology, 12:374–386.
12.
RabbowE., RettbergP., BarczykS., BohmeierM., ParpartA., PanitzC., HorneckG., BurfeindtJ., MolterF., JaramilloE., PereiraC., WeißP., WillneckerR., DemetsR., and DettmannJ. (2015) The astrobiological mission EXPOSE-R on board of the International Space Station. Int J Astrobiol, 14:3–16.
13.
RabbowE., RettbergP., ParpartA., PanitzC., SchulteW., MolterF., JaramilloE., DemetsR., WeißP., and WillneckerR. (2017) EXPOSE-R2: the astrobiological ESA mission on board of the International Space Station. Front Microbiol, 8, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2017.01533.
14.
StalportF., RouquetteL., PochO., DequaireT., Chaouche-MechidalN., PayartS., SzopaC., CollP., ChaputD., JaberM., RaulinF., and CottinH. (2019) The Photochemistry on Space Station (PSS) experiment: organic matter under Mars-like surface UV radiation conditions in low Earth orbit. Astrobiology, 19:1037–1052.
15.
WadsworthJ., RettbergP., and CockellC.S. (2019) Aggregated cell masses provide protection against space extremes and a microhabitat for hitchhiking co-inhabitants. Astrobiology, 19:995–1007.
