NASA was set to launch the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission on August 29, but this mission was canceled at the last minute. Alongside information about the landing site, activities, and objectives, what intrigued many people the most was why thousands of yeast samples were sent into space.
According to NASA, the goal of Artemis I is to gather and provide a foundation for human space exploration, while also demonstrating NASA’s commitment and capability to ensure human existence on the Moon and beyond.
One of the experiments aboard Artemis I is to observe how yeast reacts to cosmic radiation.
Yeast is a type of single-celled microorganism that is very common due to its high applicability in human life. There are thousands of yeast species recognized by science. Among them, the most common is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has been used for thousands of years to produce wine, bread, and beer.
Yeast is also used in scientific research, biology, genetics, and cell biology.
The genome of yeast has many characteristics similar to that of humans. The experiments will test the limits of human survival in space, where cosmic radiation is 20 to 50 times higher than that on Earth.
Radiation in space poses a potential fatal risk to humans. Future missions to the Moon and Mars will require astronauts to be exposed to space radiation for months, even years.
Although the purpose of the yeast experiment in space is to explore the formulation of drugs and other therapies related to radiation, its results will serve as a foundation for researching ways to help astronauts safely reach Mars – (Photo: NASA).
To test how living organisms survive under such dangers, a “box” the size of a shoebox called BioSentinel will be launched from the rocket, flying past the Moon and entering an orbit around the Sun for six to nine months. Inside will be tiny yeast samples, which will be regularly exposed to intense attacks from high-energy cosmic rays and solar particles.
Some devices on BioSentinel will measure radiation intensity, while smaller devices like microfluidic chips will monitor yeast growth, sending data back to Earth.
“This is a truly important mission. It will accomplish what has not been completed and learn what is yet to be known,” said Mike Sarafin, the Artemis I mission director, in a statement on NASA’s website.
Most previous studies on yeast have been conducted on Earth by placing them in simulated space environments. Therefore, Artemis I will allow scientists to study how cosmic radiation affects organisms in space.
Thus, the impact of cosmic radiation on yeast could lead to groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment and protection against radiation exposure for astronauts in future space missions, specifically aiming to send humans to Mars.
