Biostack experiment
The Apollo-era Biostack experiment was a bioscience experiment flown about Apollo 16 and Apollo 17. The goal of these experiments was to study the effects of high-energy cosmic rays on biological materials. The experiments contained various biological materials including bacterial spores, seeds, and the eggs of a variety of species.
Background
Heavy-ion high energy cosmic-rays were discovered in 1948 and it was discovered in rapid succession this type of radiation had a substantial propensity to interact with biological materials with physical manifestations. Balloon's provided the first mean's for scientists to explore this interactions.[1] Mice were studied for the increased speed with which their coats greyed, monkeys and mice were both studied for the damage to brain tissues, and both the eggs of Artemia Salia and the embryos of maize plants show evidence of damage at the cellular level.[1]
During the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong reported observing flashes of light whenever they had their eyes closed or when the inside of their spacecraft was dimly lit.[2][3] Every Apollo mission subsequently reported the exact same phenomenon.[3] It was surmised that the cause of these light emissions were the result of heavy-ion cosmic-rays interacting with the light detecting cells in the retina of a human eye.[2] This had been predicted in 1952 by XXX Tobias but the documentary evidence from the in-flight experiences of astronauts brought greater attention to the potential effects of cosmic-rays on biological materials in general but in particular astronauts.[1]
Experiment
Science
References
- ^ a b c Bücker, H. (1974-01-01), Sneath, P. H. A. (ed.), "THE BIOSTACK EXPERIMENTS I AND II ABOARD APOLLO 16 AND 17", Life Sciences and Space Research, Pergamon, pp. 43–50, ISBN 978-0-08-021783-3, retrieved 2024-02-09
- ^ a b Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report (PDF). Houston, Texas: Manned Spacecraft Center, NASA. 1973. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09.
- ^ a b Chapman, P. K.; Pinsky, L. S.; Benson, R. E.; Budinger, T. F. (1972-01-01). "Observations of cosmic ray induced phosphenes". Proc. of the Natl. Symp. on Nat. and Manmade Radiation in Space.