Supporting Mars exploration: BIOMEX in Low Earth Orbit and further astrobiological studies on the Moon using Raman and PanCam technology

Vera, Jean‐Pierre de; Boettger, U.; Noetzel, Rosa de la Torre; Sánchez, Francisco Javier Martín; Grunow, D.; Schmitz, Nicole; Lange, Caroline; Hübers, Heinz‐Wilhelm; Billi, Daniela; Baqué, Mickaël; Rettberg, Petra; Rabbow, Elke; Reitz, Günther; Berger, Thomas; Möller, R.; Bohmeier, Maria; Horneck, G.; Westall, Francès; Jänchen, J.; Fritz, J.; Meyer, C.; Onofri, Silvano; Selbmann, Laura; Zucconi, Laura; Kozyrovska, Natalia; Leya, Thomas; Foing, B. H.; Demets, R.; Cockell, Charles S.; Bryce, Casey; Wagner, Dirk; Serrano, Paloma; Edwards, Howell G. M.; Joshi, Jasmin; Huwe, Björn; Ehrenfreund, P.; Elsaesser, Andreas; Ott, S.; Meeßen, Joachim; Feyh, N.; Szewzyk, Ulrich; Jaumann, R.; Spohn, Tilman

doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.06.010

Cited by 74 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In addition, fungi have strong enzymatic systems and secrete various metabolites, which can degrade structural materials of the spacecraft (Novikova, ). The protective role of melanin in fungal cells, coupled with increases in fungal metabolic activity under high energy radiation observed in this study, could open interesting scenarios for searching extraterrestrial life and biosignatures in the Universe (de Vera et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation

Pacelli

Bryan

Onofri

et al. 2017

Environmental Microbiology

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Melanin is a ubiquitous pigment with unique physicochemical properties. The resistance of melanized fungi to cosmic and terrestrial ionizing radiation suggests that melanin also plays a pivotal role in radioprotection. In this study, we compared the effects of densely-ionizing deuterons and sparsely-ionizing X-rays on two microscopic fungi capable of melanogenesis. We utilized the fast-growing pathogenic basiodiomycete forming an induced DOPA-melanin, Cryptococcus neoformans (CN); and the slow-growing environmental rock-inhabiting ascomycete synthesizing a constitutive DHN-melanin, Cryomyces antarcticus (CA); melanized and non-melanized counterparts were compared. CA was more resistant to deuterons than CN, and similar resistance was observed for X-rays. Melanin afforded protection against high-dose (1.5 kGy) deuterons for both CN and CA (p-values < 10 ). For X-rays (0.3 kGy), melanin protected CA (p-values < 10 ) and probably CN. Deuterons increased XTT activity in melanized strains of both species, while the activity in non-melanized cells remained stable or decreased. For ATP levels the reverse occurred: it decreased in melanized strains, but not in non-melanized ones, after deuteron exposure. For both XTT and ATP, which reflect the metabolic activity of the cells, larger and more statistically-significant differences as a function of melanization status occurred in CN. Our data show, for the first time, that melanin protected both fast-growing and slow-growing fungi from high doses of deuterons under physiological conditions. These observations may give clues for creating melanin-based radioprotectors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation

Pacelli

Bryan

Onofri

et al. 2017

Environmental Microbiology

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“…Recently, ESA's EXPOSE multi-use platform has performed three experiments, designated as E, R, and R2, all of which hosted the deposited energy spectrometer (DES) radiation risk radiometer-dosimeter (R3D) instruments (Dachev, Horneck, et al, 2012;Dachev, Tomov, et al, 2012;Dachev, Semkova, et al, 2015;Schuster et al, 2012). These detectors were collaboratively developed by Bulgarian and German teams (Häder et al, 2009;Häder & Dachev, 2003) and have been part of a suite of astrobiology instruments (de Vera et al, 2012;Rabbow et al, 2012Rabbow et al, , 2015. Figure 1 shows an external view of the radiation risk radiometer-dosimeter (R3D)-R2 (R3DR2) instrument mounted on the EXPOSE-R2 facility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of the ISS Radiation Environment Observed during the ESA EXPOSE‐R2 Mission in 2014–2016

et al. 2017

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The radiation risk radiometer‐dosimeter (R3D)‐R2 solid‐state detector performed radiation measurements at the European Space Agency EXPOSE‐R2 platform outside of the Russian “Zvezda” module at the International Space Station (ISS) from 24 October 2014 to 11 January 2016. The ISS orbital parameters were average altitude of 415 km and 51.6° inclination. We developed special software and used experimentally obtained formulas to determine the radiation flux‐to‐dose ratio from the R3DR2 Liulin‐type deposited‐energy spectrometer. We provide for the first time simultaneous, long‐term estimates of radiation dose external to the ISS for four source categories: (i) galactic cosmic ray particles and their secondary products; (ii) protons in the South Atlantic Anomaly region of the inner radiation belt (IRB); (iii) relativistic electrons and/or bremsstrahlung in the outer radiation belt (ORB); and (iv) solar energetic particle (SEP) events. The latter category is new in this study. Additionally, in this study, secondary particles (SP) resulting from energetic particle interaction with the detector and nearby materials are identified. These are observed continuously at high latitudes. The detected SPs are identified using the same sorting requirements as SEP protons. The IRB protons provide the highest consistent hourly dose, while the ORB electrons and SEPs provide the most extreme hourly doses. SEPs were observed 11 times during the study interval. The R3DR2 data support calculation of average equivalent doses. The 30 day and 1 year average equivalent doses are much smaller than the skin and eyes doses recommendations by the National Council on Radiation Protection (Report 132), which provides radiation protection guidance for Low Earth Orbit.

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“…These space exposure experiments have been reviewed in Horneck et al 25) . EXPOSE-E, EXPOSE-R, BIORISK and BIOMEX have been performed on ISS [26][27][28][29] . In Tanpopo mission, microbes with different depth of layered cells will be exposed to the space environment.…”

Section: Exposure Of Microbes In Space (Subtheme 2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tanpopo: Astrobiology Exposure and Micrometeoroid Capture Experiments— Proposed Experiments at the Exposure Facility of ISS-JEM

Yamagishi

Yokobori

Hashimoto

et al. 2014

AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN

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Supporting Mars exploration: BIOMEX in Low Earth Orbit and further astrobiological studies on the Moon using Raman and PanCam technology

Cited by 74 publications

References 48 publications

Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation

Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation

Overview of the ISS Radiation Environment Observed during the ESA EXPOSE‐R2 Mission in 2014–2016

Tanpopo: Astrobiology Exposure and Micrometeoroid Capture Experiments— Proposed Experiments at the Exposure Facility of ISS-JEM

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