When the Artemis 1 mission launches, currently scheduled for August 29, the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. will carry to the moon not only the next generation of NASA Orion capsulebut also 10 tiny ones cubic. One of these cubesats is the BioSentinel mission, which will be the first long-duration biological experiment in deep space. (Biology experiments have so far been limited to the Earth-Moon system.) The cubesat, which carries yeast cells, will enter an orbit around the sun similar to that of Earth. From there, scientists will study how space radiation affects yeast cells. “BioSentinel is the first of its kind,” said Matthew Napoli, BioSentinel project manager at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. statement. “It will take living organisms further into space than ever before. This is really great!” Cosmic radiation is formed when atoms travel so fast that they lose their electrons, leaving only the nucleus behind, according to NASA. The agency calls such a particle “an atomic-scale fireball” because of the damage the radiation can cause. Earth’s magnetic field protects most people from space radiation, which can otherwise cause cancer and other diseases. And when the astronauts leave low earth orbit for long-duration missions, they will be exposed, hence NASA’s interest in studying radiation and its effects. The BioSentinel mission is part of this research. Because yeast cells have similar biological mechanisms to human cells—perhaps most importantly, both organisms carry genetic information on double-stranded DNA—they can serve as test subjects for radiation experiments to show what might happen to humans in similar condition.
A microfluidics card that will fly to BioSentinel holding yeast. (Image: NASA/Dominic Hart) The yeast cells will begin their journey dry, placed on small cards stored on the cubesat. As Artemis 1 rockets toward the moon, BioSentinel will part ways and enter deep space orbit around the sun. Once the cubesat is out of range of Earth’s magnetic field, mission personnel will strategically activate the yeast over the course of 12 months and the survey will begin. BioSentinel is actually one of three identical experiments: one will take place on board International Space Station, and another will happen on Earth. With this data, scientists can compare the effects of radiation on Earth, in low Earth orbit, and in deep space, helping to pave the way for manned missions to Mars and beyond. Follow Stefanie Waldek on Twitter @StefanieWaldek. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and up Facebook.
