The O/OREOS (Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) nanosatellite is the first science demonstration spacecraft and flight mission of the NASA Astrobiology Small-Payloads Program (ASP). O/OREOS was launched successfully on November 19, 2010, to a high-inclination (72°), 650-km Earth orbit aboard a US Air Force Minotaur IV rocket from Kodiak, Alaska. O/OREOS consists of 3 conjoined cubesat (each 1000cm3) modules: (i) a control bus; (ii) the Space Environment Survivability of Living Organisms (SESLO) experiment; and (iii) the Space Environment Viability of Organics (SEVO) experiment. Among the innovative aspects of the O/OREOS mission are a real-time analysis of the photostability of organics and biomarkers and the collection of data on the survival and metabolic activity for microorganisms at 3 times during the 6-month mission. We report on the spacecraft characteristics, payload capabilities, and present operational phase and flight data from the O/OREOS mission. The science and technology rationale of O/OREOS supports NASA′s scientific exploration program by investigating the local space environment as well as space biology relevant to Moon and Mars missions. It also serves as a precursor for experiments on small satellites, the International Space Station (ISS), future free-flyers and lunar surface exposure facilities.

We designed, developed, constructed, tested, launched, and are now analyzing data telemetered from orbit by the O/OREOS (Organism/ Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) nanosatellite.Measuring ~10 x 10 x 34 cm and weighing 5.5 kg, O/OREOS (Figure 1) launched in November 2010 into 650-km Earth orbit as a secondary payload from Kodiak, Alaska.O/OREOS comprises three conjoined 10-cm-cubes, each a fully integrated microsystem: a "bus" including communications, power, and control functions; the Space Environment Survivability of Living Organisms (SESLO) experiment, and the Space Environment Viability of Organics (SEVO) experiment.We will present results from SEVO's real-time analysis of the photostability of organics and biomarkers over space exposure times of one year, and SESLO's data on the survival and metabolic activity of microorganisms at 3 timepoints spanning 6 months.

We designed, built, tested, space-qualified, launched, and downlinked bioanalytical data from PharmaSat, the first fully autonomous outer-space pharmaceutical dose-response bioanalytical system on a free-flying satellite.PharmaSat tracks microorganism culture population density and metabolic activity in 48 microwells via 3-color optical absorbance.Its 5.1-kg total mass includes solar cells, integrated spacecraft "bus" module (power/batteries/ control/communications), and a sealed containment vessel housing the biofluidic, optical, thermal, and sensor subsystems.Data were obtained from all subsystems over several days following nutrient introduction to initiate growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, followed by challenges with three dose levels of an antifungal agent.

The mission of the PharmaSat biological microsatellite is to investigate the efficacy of anti-fungal agents in the spaceflight environment. The satellite uses autonomous, in situ bio-analytical and sample management technologies in order to culture and characterize the growth of multiple samples of yeast, which are exposed to differing levels of an anti-fungal agent during their growth cycle. The satellite uses a 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm Cubesat-class structure with body-mounted solar panels, an ISM-band transceiver, and a simple PIC-class microcontroller for the main flight computer. PharmaSat was launched on May 19, 2009 from Wallops Flight Facility as a secondary payload on a Minotaur launch vehicle. During the first week of operation, the primary biological experiment was conducted, and data from this experiment was downloaded thereby achieving mission success. The PharmaSat design and mission control architecture inherits many features and design strategies from the GeneSat-1 mission, which was previously developed by the same design group at NASA Ames Research Center and Santa Clara University. This paper presents the PharmaSat mission, the design of its spacecraft and ground segment, and initial flight results.

The Genesat-1 technology demonstration mission validated the use of research quality instrumentation for in situ biological research and processing. After its launch from Wallops Flight Facility as a secondary payload off a Minotaur launch vehicle on December 16, 2006, all primary science and engineering test objectives were completed successfully within one month of operation. Since that time, additional trend analyses and experiments have been performed to further quantify the performance of the bus; such quantification is of particular interest for at least five heritage-based missions currently in development, three of which are set to launch in 2008 and two slated for 2009. This paper revisits the GeneSat-1 mission system and presents results from the extended mission.

We designed, built, tested, space-qualified, launched, and downlinked bioanalytical data from a fully autonomous free-flying space satellite that supports microorganism growth in multiple fluidic wells and monitors gene expression via fluorescence. GeneSat-1 (total mass: 4.4 kg) includes solar cells, integrated spacecraft "bus" module (power/batteries/control/bi-directional communications), and an insulated pressure vessel housing the biofluidic, optical, thermal, and sensor subsystems. Data were obtained over ~ 100 hr following nutrient introduction that re-animated two strains of E. coli, with culture growth tracked via light scattering and green fluorescent protein expression monitored in each of nine bacteria-containing fluidic wells. Stability of temperature, pressure, and relative humidity were monitored by multiple sensors, as were radiation events and acceleration in three axes. Data were telemetered to Earth over the course of several weeks during and after the biological growth-and-analysis process.

The mission of the GeneSat-1 technology demonstration spacecraft is to validate the use of research-quality instrumentation for in situ biological research and processing. To execute this mission, the GeneSat-1 satellite was launched on December 16, 2006 from Wallops Flight Facility as a secondary payload off of a Minotaur launch vehicle. During the first week of operation, the core biological growth test was successfully executed, and by the end of the first month of operation all primary science and engineering test objectives had been successfully performed. In its current phase of operation, a variety of secondary technology characterizations tests are being performed, and a wide range of educational, training, and public outreach programs are being supported. This paper reviews the GeneSat-1 mission system, discusses the government-industry-university teaming approach, and presents flight results pertaining to the primary scientific and engineering experiments.

The mission of the GeneSat-1 technology demonstration spacecraft is to validate the use of research-quality instrumentation for in situ biological research and processing. To execute this mission, the GeneSat-1 satellite was launched on December 16, 2006 from Wallops Flight Facility as a secondary payload off of a Minotaur launch vehicle. During the first week of operation, the core biological growth test was successfully executed, and by the end of the first month of operation all primary science and engineering test objectives had been successfully performed. In its current phase of operation, a variety of secondary technology characterizations tests are being performed, and a wide range of educational, training, and public outreach programs are being supported. This paper reviews the GeneSat-1 mission system, discusses the government-industry-university teaming approach, and presents flight results pertaining to the primary scientific and engineering experiments.