Space Environments Working Group

• September 2011: UK Space Agency commissions ‘Microgravity working group,’

primarily charged with examining the scientific + economic potential of:

• a) microgravity (and space-analogue) research in general and

• b) UK membership of ELIPS

• October 2011: First meeting of the working group. Change of name to ‘Space

Environments Working Group’ agreed – encompasses use of all space and

space-analogue conditions, not just microgravity

• June 2012: Inaugural ‘UK Space Environments Conference’

• Held in conjunction with UK Space Biomedicine Conference

• >70 delegates

• Formation of Space Environments consortium agreed in principle

• September 2012: full business case for UK subscription to ELIPS is

submitted to DBIS and Treasury for scrutiny

• November 2012: ESA Council of Ministers, Naples: UK Minister for Science

and Universities takes decision to join ELIPS for the first time. Also makes

decision to commit 20M€ to ISS exploitation programme.

• January 2013: SEWG formally established as an advisory group, reporting to

the Space Exploration Advisory Committee (formerly known as Aurora Advisory

Committee)

Terms of Reference (abridged):

• Advise UK Space Agency on all matters concerning ELIPS exploitation, and any other routes to such research (i.e. non-ESA, bilateral arrangements.)

• Undertake tasks aimed at forming a more coherent SE ‘community’

• Review progress and set targets for exploitation of ELIPS membership

Membership:

• Representatives from across the scientific spectrum, covering (as far as is practical) all disciplines in the ELIPS programme – not necessarily ‘space experts’, but experts in their fields with experience of space-based experiments

Current Membership

Charles Cockell (Chair; Edinburgh)

Kai Bongs (Birmingham)

Jeremy Curtis (UKSA)

Helen Fraser (OU)

Sue Horne (UKSA)

Andy Mullis (Leeds)

Tim Peake (ESA)

Peter Taylor (UCL)

Andrew Kuh (Secretary; UKSA)

Astrobiology and ELIPS

Charles Cockell

University of Edinburgh

What is astrobiology?

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and

future of life in the Universe

Some of its major questions include:

How did life begin?

What the limits of the terrestrial biosphere?

What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?

Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?

Astrobiology, STFC and ELIPS

STFC Science challenges:B: How do stars and planetary systems develop and is life unique to our planet?

B1: How common are planetary systems and is ours typical?B2: How does the Sun influence the environment of the Earth and the rest of the Solar System?B3: Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?

ELIPS Research cornerstones:� Origin, Evolution and Distribution of Life- Investigate the contribution of space conditions, including radiation, to the formation of prebiotic molecules. - Identify the conditions for survivability of microorganisms in space, including planetary surfaces.- Identify markers and tools to search for extinct and extant life.

Engagement of the UK astrobiology community in ELIPS and STFC

� 5th UK Astrobiology Conference in Edinburgh (April 17-19, 2013). Over

140 delegates

� Talk by Rene Demets, ESA on ELIPS (Wednesday April 17) with

preceding statement about ELIPS and its importance for the astrobiology

community

� Open UK Astrobiology forum on Thursday April 18 at which ELIPS will be

discussed

� Engagement of ASB and others in Space Environments Conference and

experimental proposals for ELIPS studies

Oribital Facilities: BIOPAN- A facility for short-term exposure of organics and organisms to space conditions

� Developed in the 1990s

� 4 kg payload

� Temperature control

� UV radiation measurements

� Ionizing radiation dosimeters

Experiments include:

� Radiation biology (PHOTO, YEAST II)� Radiation dosimetry (RADO, RD3-B, LETVAR)

� Astrobiology (ORGANICS, LICHENS, MARSTOX, PERMAFROST)

EXPOSE- A facility for exposure of organics and organisms to space conditions

EXPOSE

EXPOSE E (Feb 2008 – Sept 2009)

PROCESSPrebiotic Organic Chemistry on Space Station

SEEDSTesting the plant seed as a terrestrial model for a panspermia vehicle and as a source of universal UV screens

PROTECTResistance of spacecraft isolates to outer space for planetary protection purposes

ADAPTMolecular adaptation strategies of micro-organisms to different space and planetary UV climate conditions

LIFEResistance of lichens and lithic fungi to space conditions

DOSIS & DOBIESRadiation Dose Distribution inside EXPOSE

R3D-EActive monitoring of UV and ionizing radiation

Technology

Rocks from Beer, DevonUsing space to understand life in extremes

Exposed to:

High ultraviolet radiation

Extreme desiccation

Ionizing radiation

For 548 days

Olsson-Francis K. 2010. Appl Env Microbiol 76, 2115-2121

Cockell CS et al. 2011. ISME J. 5, 1671-1682

The space survivor !OU_20

A cyanobacterium

Olsson-Francis K. 2010. Appl Env Microbiol 76, 2115-2121

Cockell CS et al. 2011. ISME J. 5, 1671-1682

� STFC funded! – through responsive mode (postdoc)

� EPSRC studentship� Has led to a funded

collaboration with National Physical Laboratory to investigate ionizing radiation resistance for radiobiology application.

Eating meteorites with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans - a biomining microbe

Fe2+

Fe3+

Total Fe

Gronstal AL et al. 2009. Met. Planet. Sci , 44, 233-238

Cockell CS et al. 2010 Trends Microbiol 18, 308-314

Murchison meteorite – a 3.8 billion year old piece of asteroid

Extraterrestrial mining

BioROCKStudy how microbes extract elements from minerals under simulated

microgravity, lunar and Martian gravity on board the International Space Station

� Gain fundamental insights into liquid-rock interactions and effects of gravity

� Optimise mining operations for asteroids, Moon and Mars

BioRockScience rationale

Goal: To understand the three component liquid-water-microbe system

� Does microgravity affect microbially-induced rock alteration (cf. motility).

H: Microgravity influences mixing regimes and microbe-mineral interactions.

� Does the space environment induce alterations in biofilms in microbes

associated with rocks?

H: Space conditions change the structure and morphology of microbial

biofilms formed on solid rocks substrates from which they are gathering

nutrients.

� Does the space environment induce alterations in the genetics and

mutations in microbes associated with rocks?

H: The space environment changes the microbe-mineral environment and

hence the genetics of rock-dwelling microorganisms.

� Test of technological capabilities in manipulating microbe-mineral

interactions.

Kubik facility ISS

BioRock

OrganismsBacillus subtilis – motile heterotroph

Polaromonas sp. – non-motile heterotroph

Ralstonia – non-motile heterotroph

Experimental set-up3 expts for three organisms (nine chambers), 1 x 1 cm, 2 mm thick

Standard microscope slide with depressions for cells (three of them to

ensure contact between liquid and slide).

Conclusions

� Clear synergies between STFC science goals and ELIPS goals in astrochemistry, astrobiology and space technology.

� ELIPS orbital facilities and Earth-based facilities e.g. parabolic flights offer huge potential for UK science and technology development.

� We need to widen the number of researchers involved.

� STFC has ALREADY funded ELIPS research in astrobiology which has led to EPSRC support and collaborations with our national research laboratories and new research in radiobiology.