nasa facts biosatellites

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f PageN A S A . . F A C T SAn Educational Services Publication of the

National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA FACTS Vol. II, No. 10

BIOSATELLITES

The Biosatellites, earth-orbiting biologicalsatellites, are scheduled for a series of launchesbeginning in early 1966. Living things, journey-ing into space, will be exposed to a great manyunusual effects. Plant an d an imal specimens,single cells and complex organisms, will beincluded.

The mission of the Biosatellites i s to studythe effects on living organisms of weightlessness,radiation, weightlessness cornbined with radia-tion, and the absence of the effects of the earth'srotation, such as the removal of the normal 24hour day night cycle.

The information the scientists obtain i s ex-pected to shed light on the fundamental proc-esses of lif e an d have vital application to thefield of manned space flight.

Thus, NASA's Biosatellite program marksthe decisive leap of biology into full scale ex-

perimentation in space, to ta ke ad vant age unique opportunities to study the basic propertiand nature of living ear th organisms with toopreviously unavaiIabIe.

The Biosatellite i s essentially a very speckind of biological laboratory in space. BioBiosatellite in orbit. The circular motion i s the satellit"fre e fall ." Since the acceleration of the satellite in or

i s equal to the acceleration of gravity, it is weightless.


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2 s can conduct experiments in living organismshe weightless state, for example. Then, by

ing the specimens and comparing their

1 g, they can find out just what th e effectszero gravity are.1 g means that a gravitational force pro-ng an acceleration o f approximately 32 feet

i s constantly pulling everything towardIt i s the force of grav-A ll known living

this 1 g environment.an is accustomed to this pull because it i s nor-his life.

By substituting centrifugal force for accel-of th e effects

only from 1 g upward on the scale,is, for forces greater than gravity at the

the earth.The biologists ask: What i f life on earth

ce some other gravitational level,1 g down to zero? Wo uld it have any

i t s development? Where canhat will happen to living organisms

we were to remove gravity altogether? Thei s an orbiting

It i s the free fall of the satellite that pro-the weightless laboratory. At the distance

i s still 95%f the earths gravity, but, since the acceleration

ths gravity, it i s weightless. If it doesthe three axes)

s o as to experience an accelerationO Wwill

ten-thousandth ofalso be weightless.

a

BIOLOGICAL SPACE HAZARDSPrevious flights of men, plants an d animals

na l stress can be tolera ted for a few daysill effects. But there i s reason

se fo rmidab le problems.There i s evidence that the bones and muscles

because of inaction, and calcium

NASA FACTS Vol. II, No. 10loss may result. There may kk some deteriora-tio n i n the b lood-circu lating system which nor-mally works against gravity. On the long spacejourney, the heart muscles may undergo l o ss oftone because of disuse and fail under th e stressof re-entry. Prolonged absence of sensation inthe inner ear and weight-bearing muscles mayhave an adverse effect on maintaining normalbalance and coordination.

Long periods of confinement, isolation andmonotony of the space journey may have seriouseffects on brain functioning and may weaken apersons ability to concentrate and makedecisions.

Another vital proble m in prolo nged spaceflight i s radiation. Solar or sun flares can makethe amount many times greater in local areas thanwould normally be anticipated. Although solarflares are unpredictable, their hig h energy par-t i c l es are a constant ha zar d to manned spaceflight. Therefore, this Biosatellite will use aradiation source which will approximate the radi-ation dosage range to which astronauts might be

If these tw o factors, rad ia tio n and weight-lessness, are combined, the effect of their work-ing together may be synergistic (that is, muchgreater than expected from their simple addi-tion), or antagonistic. This combination may

exposed. c -

Prolonged weightlessness may cause l o s s of calcium in bonestructure, weakening of muscles, dete riorati on i n the bloo d-circulating system. Prolonged exposure to radia tion i s a

hazard which may be com plicated by weightlessness.


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NASA FACTS voi. 11, NO. i o

Rhythms of physiological activity may be built into livingmoterials (left) or may be imposed from outside (right).

intensify or reduce well-known radiation effectsin two areas: the somatic or non-inheritableeffects and the genetic or hereditary effects.

Another potentially troublesome area con-cerns what i s called circadian (about-a-day)rhythms. Most physiologic activity i s rhythmicwithin a period of 24 hours. These rhythms con-trol processes within many cells, as well as inentire organisms. Jet travellers are well awarethat sudden changes in time zone upset the 24-hour cycle of their bodies.

Scientists are not certain whether theserhythms are built into the living material (endog-enous) or whether they are being imposed bysome outside forces whose own rhythms act l ikepacemakers (exogenous).

The biologists intend to explore the natureof these rhythms further in the Biosatellite. Theywant to know what will happen to the biologi-cal clocks o f living organisms when we removethem from the effects of the earths rotation,when instead of being subjected to a 24 hourinput, they g o into a 90 minute orbit-for as longas 21 days or more.

In order to make an all out attack on theseand many other problems, the Biosatellite pro-gram will be asking questions about l i fe on everylevel of organization.

Leading biologists have submitted pro-posals for experiments. These have been evalu-ated by biologists on NASAs advisory commit-tees and by specialists of the National Academyof Sciences. They examine each proposed ex-periment to see i f i t i s a valid scientific experi-ment which can be conducted only in space, andequally important, i f i t i s capable of being con-ducted in a Biosatellite flight.

Page 3SIX F L I G H T P R O G R A MA six flight program i s planned with the

first launch scheduled in early 1966, followed bysuccessive launches at three month intervals.

The experiments are divided into threemajor pay load categories: 1 . Radiation Group,2. General Biology and Biorhythm Group, and3. Primate Group.The first fligh t o f the Biosatellite, a 3 dayorbit, will carry experiments to study the effectsof weightlessness, and weightlessness combinedwith a kno wn source of radiation. The speci-mens include pepper and flowering plants, wheatseedlings, amoeba, mammalian cells, frog eggs,sea urchin eggs, bread mold, fru it flies, beetles,wasps and bacteria. Proposed specimens forthe five subsequent Biosatellite flights will includeplants, rodents, human tissue culture, and for theprimate group, pigtail monkeys.

EXPERIMENT PROFILESThe recovery capsule has a structural shell

which i s identical for all three groups o f expe ri-ment payloads. Supplemen tary rin gs a n dbrackets are provided to adapt the basic capsulefor each experimental payload.

V T

QUICK*ACCESS DEW

r

RECOVERY EOUIPMENTW The profile arrangement for typical experi-

ments in the Radiation Group is shown in thediagram Radiation Experiments.

In order to receive different dosages fromthe on-board radiation source, specimens arelocated at various distances from the radiationsource. Other specimens will be shielded so asto receive no radiation. The former will give


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radia tio n a t various levels. The shieldedof

The environment of the capsule must dupli-n the ground, hence, the18 to 22

nt oxygen an d the remainder nitrogen.1 4 .7 psiund s per squa re inch), the same as we ex-

at sea level. The temperature will bedegrees F plus or minus 5 degrees. The

40 t o 70 percent.

4,The dia gram Biorhythm and General Bi-

gy Experiments shows the inboa rd profilein that group. The experiments

processes an d p lan t growth, and the effect

NASA FACTS Vol. II, No. 10their normal 24 hour day -night cycle. Theywill be in orbit for periods of up to 27 days.

The environment in the capsule i s approxi-mately the same as for the radiation experimentgroup. The instrumentation wi ll include arti-ficial lighting, time-lapse photography, and con-tinuous on-board recording of experimental data.

PRIMATE EXPERIMENTSIn the Primate Gro up (see diag ram Pri-mate Experiments) the studies wil l be con-ducted on the effects o f pro longed weightlessnesson the blood circulating system, and the centralnervous system and behavior, skeletal systemsand metabolism of primates for periods of 30days.

The monkey i s restrained in a couch whichprotects him during the expected accelerations.The restraint system also prevents the monkeyfrom interfering with the instrumentation. A lifesupport system i s furnished, including feedingand water ing devices. Provision i s made forlighting, and a camera to record his movements.

The environment of the capsule i s the sameas for the radiation group, with the addition ofsupplies for the animal for the 30 day missions.Exhaled carbon dioxide gas i s continuouslyremoved to keep the level below 1 percent.

BIOSATELLITE CONFIGURATIONThe configuration of the spacecraf t within

the payload shroud of the thrust-augmentedDelta launch vehicle i s shown in the diagramBiosatellite Configuration. The spacecraft hasa maximum diameter of 57 inches and i s aboutsix feet long. Overa ll weigh t i s between 950and 1 1 50 pounds, depending on the mission.


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NASA FACTS Vol. II, No. 10 Page 54

Major sections of th e spacecraft.

M A J O R S EC TIO NS O F T HESPACECRAFT

The Biosatellite consists of two major sec-tions (see diagram), a re-entry vehicle and anadapter . The re-ent ry vehicle configuration isa scaled-up version of another flight proven andhighly successful spacecraft and i s a sphere-cone shape with a 40 inch diameter cone baseand an overall length of 48 inches. A methodfor quick access to the specimen compartmentmakes use of a breech ring for inspection of ex-periments as late as 3 hours before lift off.

The adapter i s a cylinder-cone configurationo f 40 to 57 inches in diameter and a length of

c

approximately 37 inches. Equipment noneeded after orbiting the earth i s located in theadapter and i s not returned to earth.As shown in the diagram Exploded Viewof Biosatellite the re-entry vehicle consists of aforebody section, a recovery capsule, a therma(heat) cover and a thrust cone. The for ebo dsection i s made up of a phenolic nylon heashield and fiberglass liner, ejected after re-entryThe recovery capsule contains the experimendata and the equipment required for recoveryli fe support and telemetry. Telemetry i s thscience of measuring a quantity, transmitting thmeasured value to a distant station, and therinterpreting, indicating, or recording the quantities measured.


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"Exploded" view of t h e Biosatellite.

Equipment for in-orb it telemetry, tracking(the process of following the movement of a sat-ellite by radar, rad io and photographic obser-vation), and command ( a signal which initiatesor triggers an action in the device which receivesthe signal), i s designed to be compatible with theNASA tracking network. The re-entry telemetrysubsystem i s compatible with equipment carriedab oard recovery ships and search aircraft.

Power for the 3-day missions i s suppliedb y conventional batter ies. For all other mis-sions the prime source of electrical power duringorbit is the hydrogen-oxygen ionic membranefue l cell similar to that used on Gemini. Thefuel cell operates on the principle that ions(atoms unbalanced electrically by the removal of

one or more electrons) move across a solid elec-trolyte ion-exchange membrane to the oxygencavity where, by the combination with oxygen,they provide a current flow, with water a s a by-product.

Dur ing orbit, a very sensitive attitude con-tro l system will detect any tumbling, that is,rotation about any o f the three axes (an axis isa straight line about which a body rotates) bysensing minute changes in acceleration. A coldgas iet control system applies correction whenthe accelerations exceed preselected thresholds.

During the last orbit, the spacecraft mustbe aligned with the earth in the proper attitudeneeded for retrofire (the firing of the rocket fit-ted on a satellite t o produce thrust opposed to


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NASA FACTS voi. 11, NO. i o Page 7

Mission profile for the Biosatellite.

forward motion). This will be done by flightproven systems. An inf ra- red scanning devicepoints the spacecraft toward the earth in theproper attitude, that is, it controls the pitch. Amagnetometer, an instrument that measures theearths magnetism, orients it toward the properplace on the earth, tha t is, it controls the yaw.

After the retrofire, aerodynamic forces(forces which act on bodies moving through airor other gaseous fluids) take over and point theheat shield toward the line of flight.

The capsule will come down near Hawaii,and will be caught in mid air, or, i f the catchmisses and the capsule lands in the ocean, dyemarkers and radio equipment will be used tolocate it in the water.

A maximum of six hours has been allowedto get the specimens back to the laboratory onland.

The reliable Thrust-Augmented Delta launchvehicle was selected for all Biosatellite missions.

The Biosatellite will be put in to a circularorb it around the earth very close to the equator.For 95 percent of the time a fter injection intoorbit, the effective gravita tional force will notexceed one ten-thousandth of a g.

In the Biosatellite we are prov ided with theopportunity to evaluate and test major biologicalhypotheses. Such data i s of fundamental valueto biology. It i s extremely important for defin-ing hazards to astronauts as well as determiningwhether there i s any degradation in human per-formance. In addi tion, it i s anticipated thatmuch of the acquired space bio logy informat ionwill be applicable to the well being of man in histerrestrial environment.


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8' NASA FACTS Vol. II, No. 10

The launch vehicle for the DIO-satellite program i s the Thrust Aug-mented Delta, here shown in placefo r a Syncom launch. It i s "aug-mented" b y adding the three smallCastor sol id propel lants rockets a tthe base of the booster.

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