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Projects: LIFE Experiment: Phobos

Updates

09/21/2009 -- Phobos Grunt including Phobos LIFE Delayed Until 2011

Today, the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, decided to delay from 2009 to 2011 the launch of the Phobos Grunt mission to study and return samples from the Martian moon Phobos.  The Planetary Society’s LIFE (Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment) experiment, designed to test the ability of microorganisms to survive deep space flight, is part of the mission.

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10/15/2008 -- LIFE Experiment Module Passes Vibration and Impact Tests, by Mark Gelfand

Planetary Society member and LIFE donor Mark Gelfand recently attended the vibration and impact tests of the Phobos LIFE capsule in central California. The vibration test is designed to mimic conditions during the launch, and the impact test replicates the landing impact when the capsule returns to Earth. The studies ensure that even under extreme conditions the module will remain whole and the organisms will remain sealed in their bio-capsules.

9/15/1008 -- With Only Months to Delivery, Work on LIFE Experiment Intensifies

Less than four months are left before the scheduled delivery of the fully functional LIFE experiment. In this time we still need to decide the final details of the canister's physical structure, and settle all remaining issues relating to the experiment's biological content. And then we need to build the experiment, load it with its precious biological cargo, seal it, and deliver it to the mission engineers. True, much work remains to be done. But we are sure of this much: We will be ready.

8/31/2008 -- Phobos LIFE Experiment Designs Finalized, Hardware in Production, Important Partnerships Established

Our preparations for sending out microbes on a roundtrip to the Martian moon Phobos and back have shifted into high gear. We have now completed the design of the ultra-tough canister that will be the organisms' "home" during their three year trip on board the Russian Phobos-Grunt spacecraft. An engineering model of the disk-shaped canister is currently in the works, and a flight module will follow within months.