Meet BioSentinel: The First Biological Experiment In Deep Space

Abstract

Recently, NASA launched a rocket called Artemis-I toward the Moon! The mission objective was to test the safety of the Space Launch System for future human travel into deep space. But vehicle safety is not the only concern for space travelers. Space radiation is an invisible danger to astronauts because it can damage the body’s cells and potentially lead to serious health problems. How do we study the effects of space radiation on cells? Meet BioSentinel! BioSentinel is a small satellite deployed from Artemis-I that carries yeast cells and a sensor to measure space radiation. The job of BioSentinel is to transmit data from the cells in deep space back to Earth. In this article, we will explore the BioSentinel mission, discuss how the data are obtained and transmitted, and give examples of how the data from BioSentinel will help scientists better understand the effects of space radiation on living things.