PharmaSat
Encyclopedia
PharmaSat is a nanosatellite developed by NASA Ames Research Center
which measures the influence of microgravity upon yeast resistance to an antifungal agent. As a follow on to the highly successful GeneSat-1 Mission, the Ames Small Spacecraft Division is collaborating with industry and local universities to develop the next-generation fully automated, miniaturized triple cubesat
spaceflight system for biological payloads.
PharmaSat is the first nanosatellite to implement PI (Principal Investigator
) guided biological science. The mission is designed to answer questions key to countermeasure development for long-term space travel and habitation.
and optics
in a free-flying satellite
, self-powered and weighing 5 kg. It provided life-support, growth, monitoring, and analysis capabilities for microorganisms. Retrofitting GeneSat-1 to save significant cost and schedule, PharmaSat accomplished five critical functions in an autonomous free-flyer platform:
rocket. PharmaSat was flown as a secondary payload co-manifested with TacSat-3
, developed by Air Force Research Laboratory
.
After PharmaSat separated from the Minotaur I rocket and successfully entered low Earth orbit at approximately 285 miles (458.7 km) above the Earth, it activated and began transmitting radio signals to two ground control stations. The primary ground station at SRI International
, Menlo Park, Calif., transmits mission data from the satellite to the spacecraft operators in the mission control center at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. A secondary station is located at Santa Clara University
, Santa Clara, Calif. All mission operations are performed by the Robotic Systems Laboratory of Santa Clara University. After establishing contact the satellite received a command to initiate its experiment, which lasted 96 hours. Once the experiment began, PharmaSat relayed data in near real-time up to six months, to mission managers, engineers and project scientists for further analysis.
The Mission Dashboard is provided by Santa Clara University and shows up-to-date telemetry of the mission for the public's viewing.
PharmaSat also carries an amateur radio
beacon which broadcasts real-time health and status telemetry. The beacon frequency is 437.465 MHz. Amateur radio operators can collect and submit decoded packets through the Mission Dashboard.
NASA Ames Research Center
The Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...
which measures the influence of microgravity upon yeast resistance to an antifungal agent. As a follow on to the highly successful GeneSat-1 Mission, the Ames Small Spacecraft Division is collaborating with industry and local universities to develop the next-generation fully automated, miniaturized triple cubesat
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
spaceflight system for biological payloads.
PharmaSat is the first nanosatellite to implement PI (Principal Investigator
Principal investigator
A principal investigator is the lead scientist or engineer for a particular well-defined science project, such as a laboratory study or clinical trial....
) guided biological science. The mission is designed to answer questions key to countermeasure development for long-term space travel and habitation.
Background
The PharmaSat mission builds upon the extensive technology development program and recent flight heritage of GeneSat-1. GeneSat-1 combined innovative miniaturization and integration strategies with recent developments in microfluidicsMicrofluidics
Microfluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
and optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
in a free-flying satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, self-powered and weighing 5 kg. It provided life-support, growth, monitoring, and analysis capabilities for microorganisms. Retrofitting GeneSat-1 to save significant cost and schedule, PharmaSat accomplished five critical functions in an autonomous free-flyer platform:
- Provide life support and environmental control for growth of the yeastYeastYeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
strain in 48 independent microwells - Dose the growing yeast with antifungal agent at the appropriate point on the growth curve with three distinct, well-defined dosage levels, plus a zero-dose control
- Track the population of the yeast via optical density of each microwell before, during and after antifungal administration
- Determine well-by-well yeast viability at multiple, well-defined times after antifungal administration using a colorimetric reagent, Alamar BlueResazurinResazurin is a blue dye, itself nonfluorescent until it is reduced to the pink colored and highly red fluorescent resorufin. It is used mainly as an oxidation-reduction indicator in cell viability assays for bacteria and mammalian cells...
- Telemeter the resulting population and viability data to Earth, along with system status data.
The Mission
Launch occurred at 23:55 UTC on May 19, 2009 aboard a Minotaur IMinotaur I
The Minotaur I, or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile. It is used to launch small satellites for the US Government, and is a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation.Minotaur I rockets consist of the...
rocket. PharmaSat was flown as a secondary payload co-manifested with TacSat-3
TacSat-3
TacSat-3 is the third in a series of U.S. military reconnaissance satellites. It was assembled in an Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The TacSat satellites are all designed to demonstrate the ability to provide real-time data...
, developed by Air Force Research Laboratory
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable aerospace warfighting technologies; planning and executing the Air Force science and...
.
After PharmaSat separated from the Minotaur I rocket and successfully entered low Earth orbit at approximately 285 miles (458.7 km) above the Earth, it activated and began transmitting radio signals to two ground control stations. The primary ground station at SRI International
SRI International
SRI International , founded as Stanford Research Institute, is one of the world's largest contract research institutes. Based in Menlo Park, California, the trustees of Stanford University established it in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. It was later...
, Menlo Park, Calif., transmits mission data from the satellite to the spacecraft operators in the mission control center at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. A secondary station is located at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
, Santa Clara, Calif. All mission operations are performed by the Robotic Systems Laboratory of Santa Clara University. After establishing contact the satellite received a command to initiate its experiment, which lasted 96 hours. Once the experiment began, PharmaSat relayed data in near real-time up to six months, to mission managers, engineers and project scientists for further analysis.
The Mission Dashboard is provided by Santa Clara University and shows up-to-date telemetry of the mission for the public's viewing.
PharmaSat also carries an amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
beacon which broadcasts real-time health and status telemetry. The beacon frequency is 437.465 MHz. Amateur radio operators can collect and submit decoded packets through the Mission Dashboard.