 'LIFE' Bio-Module | |
| Mission type | Astrobiological experiment on board the Fobos-Grunt spacecraft. |
|---|---|
| Operator | The Planetary Society |
| Website | www.planetary.org |
| Mission duration | 3 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | <100 g (3.5 oz) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 8, 2011,[1] |
| Rocket | Zenit-2SB |
| Launch site | Baikonur 45/1 |
| Contractor | Roscosmos |
| Deployed from | Fobos-Grunt |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | Fobos-Grunt failed before TMI |
| Decay date | 15 January 2012 |
The Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment[2] (LIFE or Phobos LIFE[3]) was an interplanetary mission developed by the Planetary Society. It consisted of sending selected microorganisms on a three-year interplanetary round-trip in a small capsule aboard the Russian Fobos-Grunt spacecraft in 2011, which was a failed sample-return mission to the Martian moon Phobos. The Fobos-Grunt mission failed to leave Earth orbit[4][5] and was destroyed.
The goal was to test whether selected organisms can survive an undetermined number of years in deep space by flying them through interplanetary space. The experiment would have tested one aspect of panspermia, the hypothesis that life could survive space travel, if protected inside rocks blasted by impact off one planet to land on another.[6][7]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
rianwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Asian Scientist, "Phobos-Grunt Mission Carrying Yinghuo-1 Space Probe Suffers Technical Glitch", Srinivas Laxman, 9 November 2011
- ^ The Planetary Society, "Phobos LIFE Ready to Launch" Archived 2012-01-26 at the Wayback Machine, Bruce Betts, September 2011 (accessed 11-11-11)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Novosti-2011-12-13was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Universe Today, "Russian Space Program Prepares for Phobos-Grunt Re-Entry", David Warmflash, 13 December 2011
- ^ Warmflash, David; Ciftcioglu, Neva; Fox, George; McKay, David S.; Friedman, Louis; Betts, Bruce; Kirschvink, Joseph (November 5–7, 2007). Living interplanetary flight experiment (LIFE): An experiment on the survivalability of microorganisms during interplanetary travel (PDF). Workshop on the Exploration of Phobos and Deimos. Ames Research Center.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Zak1was invoked but never defined (see the help page).