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AN EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATION OF THE
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Biosatenite n
UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE PROCF`' ; S INCREASED
NASA's Biosatellite II experiment has added an-
other dimension to man's understanding of life
processes. The experiment is part of the Biosatellite
program which is designed to study the effects on
living things of such phenomena as weightlessness,
weightlessness combined with radiation, and re-
moval from the diurnal (day-night) cycle on earth.
The information acquired through the pr:,gram is
expected not only to throw new light on the funda-
mental processes of life but also to contribute to
planning for manned space flights of long duration.
Biosatellite II carried frog eggs, microorganisms.
plants, and insects on an orbital flight that lasted
about two days. The living cargo was subjected
during the flight to weightlessness alone and to
weightlessness combined w i th radiation artificially

Technicians read-Y Biosatellite II for launch.

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applied from a source on the spacecraft.
NASA and participating university and industry
scientists studied for several months the impact of
the flight on the living things. Among the revealing
new information derived from the studies are the
following:
• Weightlessness can spur radiation-induced muta-
tions and other cell damage. On the other hand,
weightlessness appeared to slow the growth and
metabolism (energy conversion; i.e., conversion of
food or nutrients to bodily processes) of injured
cells, giving them an opportunity to repair damage
due to radiation.
• Earth's gravity controls plant growth to a greater
degree than previously realized.
0 Bacteria seem to multiply more readily in space
than on earth. But weightlessness appears to inhibit
the relative growth of viruses.
t . l ust as on earth, young and rapidly dividing cells
in a weightless environment are more severely af-
View of Biosatellite II just before mid -air recovery by United States Air Force plane.
2
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fected by radiation than mature slowly growing cells.
• Plan' life reacts far more to weightlessness than
animal life.
Since living things have much in common, the
results are contributing to understanding of life
processes. To biologists studying such diseases as
cancer where mutant cells compete with normal
cells, for example, the fact that lowered or absent
gravity can slow down the activity of damaged
mutant cells may be significant. Much more experi-
mentation and study will be required, of course,
before its significance can be ascertained.
Scientists also caution that Biosatellite II experi-
ments were with relatively simple organisms and the
findings cannot be transferred directly to man. For
example, forty-five hours of weightless flight for
some of these organisms is the equivalent of years
to a human being. But the Biosatellite II experiments
and others to follow are adding a new dimension to
man's knowledge about life.

TrMr 7.7 W1
Biosate!lite I, launched December 14, 1966,
1.
could not be brought down as scheduled :i
because of retrorocket failure. Efforts to
locate the craft during its anticipated normal
reentry on February - e
unsuccessful.
I AROR I, 'Y IN SPAi
NASA launched Biosatellite II from Cape Kennedy,
Florida, on September 7, 1967. About two days
later, ground controllers ordered the satellite to fire
retrorockets, slowing it so that it fell out of orbit
toward earth. As it parachuted down over the Pacific
Ocean near Hawaii, the spacecraft was retrieved in
the air by a United States Air Force plane.
During 45 hours of weightless flight, part of the
living cargo aboard Biosatellite II was subjected to
measured doses of gamma radiation from an on-
board 85 Strontium package. Other living things
were not exposed to radiation. Thus, information
could be acquired about the effects of weightless-
ness alone and the effects of weightlessness and
radiation combined. A control group of organisms
was subjected to the same conditions as the flying
group, except that it was in laboratories on earth.
After Biosatellite II was recovered. it was rushed
to Hawaii for quick look studies of the experimental
specimens. They were then transferred to the !abor-
atories of the participating scientists for continued
observation and extensive study.
Plans call for additional Biosatellite flights. In a
pair of month-long orbital flights, trained monkeys
will be used to learn how prolonged weightlessness
may affect body processes in higher life forms.
This NASA Facts presents some highlights of the
Biosate!lite II experiments. The step-by-step infor-
mation about growth of certain specimens was
obtained by halting, or fixing, their development at
planned intervals during flight. This was accom-
plished by treating the organisms with chemicals
that arrest growth at certain stages.
POPULATION FYPLOSION
Bacteria flown on Biosatellite II apparently found
weightlessness ideal for life as they knew it. For
every 10,000 NASA sent up. a billion returned.
Experimenters theorize that without the restraints
of gravity, the bacteria found it easier to take in
nutrient and give off waste, thus allowing a greater
part of their metabolism to be devoted to repro-
duction.
Bacteria are one of the major classes of micro-
organisms. Another is called protozoa. Biologists
consider bacteria a form of plant life; protozoa,
animal life.
There is another group of microbes that has so
far defied classification — even as a living thing.
This is the virus. All three types rode in Biosatellite
11
Two different bacteria, Salmonella and Escheri-
chia coli, were aboard Biosatellite 11. In many labora-
tory experiments on earth, these bacteria are
infected with a virus and then irradiated. The virus
multiplies rapidly, eventually lysing, or bursting,
the one-celled creatures. The bacteria thus became
known as lysogenic (rupturing) bacteria.
The weightless condition of space produced sig-
nificant differences in effects on the bacteria. The
viruses per bacterium failed to reproduce as well as
they do on earth. As a result, the number of irradi-
ated infected lysogenic bacteria that burst in space
was about 25 percent fewer than earth controls.
Scientists cannot yet explain this.
The lysogenic bacteria also tolerated radiation
better (in addition to reproducing substantially
faster) than did similar bacteria on earth. The space-
borne viruses were not as badly damaged by radia
tion as their counterparts within microb— n ground
laboratories.
Another interesting result was that irradiated
bacteria multiplied more rapidly under weightless
conditions than non-irradiated bacteria. Irradiated
Salmonella aboard Biosatellite 11 totaled 48 percent
more than those in identical types of chambers on
the ground. Non-irradiated Salmonella produced 19
percent more in weightlessness than on the ground.
In neighboring chambers of Biosatellite 11 rode
two types of protozoa. One is the amoeba called
Pelomyxa carolinensis. This little creature is a
favorite subject in classroom laboratories.
The jelly-like microorganism was able to maintain
its external shape while weightless. Two days of
wei,a htlessness resulted in no amoeba population
explr .on. Actually, they reproduced at about the
same rate as their counterparts on earth.
However, amoebae did feed somewhat more and
divided somewhat less frequently in space. During
reentry, when the forces on the spacecraft's occu-
pants were several times that of earth's gravity,
amoebae fed less and divided more frequently than
their earth-bound counterparts.
3
 The amoeba performs most of the functions of
many celled animals. It resembles man's white blood
cells most in structure and behavior.
Another kind of protozoan sent into space was
the spore of the fungus called orange bread mold.
The spore is called Neurospora. Tests on the result-
ant fungi revealed no effects that could be entirely
attributed to either weightlessness or weightlessness
combined with radiation.
fRUG EMBRYO GRUVYfH
UNAFFECTED BY WEIGHTLESSNESS
Cells range in size from the microscopic bacteria
and protozoa to easily visible eggs. Once fertilized,
however, egg cells start dividing.
Scientists have observed that gravity affects the
growth of embryos in frog eggs. Frog eggs have
heavy ends and lighter ends. After the frog eggs are
Ore of six tadpoles
that hatched from eggs
flown aboard Biosatellite II.
4
fertilized, their heavy Inds move downward.
Laboratory experiments that have prevented frog
eggs from pointing their hea p ends g own have
resulted in the hatching of abnormal' dpoles. Some
of these tadpoles have even had two heads.
Cell division of earth-fe rtilized frog eggs flown in
the Biosatellite II experiment was apparently un-
affected by weightlessness. This confirmed a similar
finding during the manned Gemini XII flight of
November 11 to 15, 1966. Actually, the Gemini
flight provided about double the weightless hours of
Biosatellite II.
An assumption, therefore, is that frog eggs must
be oriented properly where gravity or similar forces
are present. The absence of gravity, however, does
not significantly affect the normal development of
resultant offspring, after the first cell division has
taken place.
EXPERIMENT CROWNS CENTUR Y
OF PLANT STUDIES Effect of weightlessness
on developing wheat seedlings.
This is not so, however, with plants. The Bio-
satellite II experiment confirmed that plant leaves.
stems, and roots depend upon continuous gravity
for orientation. WithoLt gravity, leaves, stems, and
roots of plants grow in unexpected directions.
While circling earth in Biosatellite Il, the roots of
wheat seedlings curved upward and to the side
rather than in the opposite direction relative to the
stem. The leaves of pepper plants twisted and curled
downward. Generally, the leaves of healthy pepper
plants grow almost horizontally relative to the
earth's surface or to the side relative to the plant's
stem.
i
The Biosatellite II experiment thus crowned nearly
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a hundred years of earth experiments on the role I
of gravity in plant growth. The phenomena noted
Ground control-normal
during the weightless flight in Biosatellite II had
been suspected because of clinostat experiments on
earth.
A clinostat rotates growing plants slowly with
their stems horizontal to earth. It simulates the
more obvious effects of weightlessness by keeping
the pull on the plant from being exclusively in one
direction.
The helter skeeter plant growth is attributed to
unbalanced distribution of enzymes and other
growth regulators because of the absence of uni-
directional gravity. Apparently, normal distribution
of growth regulators depends upon signals of a
single force like earth's gravity in roughly the same
way that a pilot flying in fog follows a radar beam
to an airport.
The knowledge gained opens interesting possi- Ground control-clinostat
bilities for artificial cortrol of plant growth. Sci-
entists are considering enzyme medication and
manipulation of the direction and intensity of gravi-
tational-like influences as means toward this end.
Some structural and chemical differences be-
tween the flight plants and those on the ground were
observed. Among them were an increase of sucrose
and decrease of stored starch in the pepper plants
and longer shoots in proportion to roots in the wheat
seedlings.
Studies on the effects of radiation in a weightless
environment were carried out with Tradescantia.
This is a native American wildflower found frequently
along roadsides. It is known to develop pink streaks
on its normally blue petals when exposed to
radiation. Biosatellite II — 45 hours
Its relatively small number of large chromosomes

5
 (12) makes Tradescantia a good subject for studies

r
of genetic injury and mutation due to radiation.
Another consideration is that the Tradescantia gene
that determines flower petal colo is about as sensi-
tive to radiation as genes of mammalian cells.
Weightlessness had no apparent effect on the
flower petal color gene. Nor did the gene show any
reaction to radiation different from which it would
show when similarly irradiated on the ground. How-
ever, other plant cells were more severely damaged
by radiation than identical cells of plants on the
ground.

Effect of weightlessness on the anatomy of wheat seedlings

PARTICLE DISTRIBUTION IN CELLS

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 Reaction of Pepper Plant
to Weightlessness.
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Before launch.

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4 hours and 40 minutes of weightlessness.

12 hours and
29 minutes of
weightlessness.

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17 hours and
40 minutes of
weightlessness,

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Effects of radiation
and weightlessness on the
vinegar gnat (Drosophila).
INSECT MUTATIONS DUE TO RADIATION
SPIIRRFD BY WFIGHTI FSSNFSS
Three types of insects flown on Biosatellite 11
were more severely affected by radiation when
welghtiess than if they were under normal gravity.
Insects studied include vinegar gnats (Drosophila
rnelanogaster), flour beetles (Tribolium), and para-
sitic wasps (Habrobracon).
Vinegar gnat larvae were disturbed even by
weightlessness alone. There was abnormal chromo
some transfer in dividing cells. This has not been
seen in gnat larvae on earth. Irradiation under
weightlessness worsened their situation. When the
larvae grew to adulthood, they were weaker and had
shorter life spans than larvae that had stayed on
earth.
Male vinegar gnats suffered more damage than
females. Scientists think that this is linked to the
fact that females have two X chromosomes while
males have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome.
Thus, the loss of an X chromosome could affect a

Adult from normal egg (ground)

Effects of weightlessness

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VESTIGIAL WING

MISSING WING

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Adult from egg In Blosatelhte II
Radiation and weightlessness effects

8
 male more seve sly than a femals.
In another expenm,^i l t, irradiated flour beetle
(Triboliurn) pupae flown on Blosatelllte II showed a
50 percent Increase In radiation-induced wing ab-
normalities as compared to pupae similarly exposed
on earth. Also, twice as many of the offispring of
those sent into space failed to survive as compared
to their earthbound counterparts.
WEIGHTLESSNESS APPEARS
TO AID HEALING
OF P,ADIATION DAMA11,F
The eggs of the parasitic wasp (H?brnbracon)
suffered considerable damage during Irradiation in
space but partially recovered. In fact, not only did
the eggs recover more rapidly in a weight l ess en-
vironment but also the wasps that hatched from the
eggs showed less genatic damage than wasps
hatched from simil- ly irradiated eggs in the ground
laboratory. Weightlessness also seemed to reduce
the death rate of embryos from irradiated eggs.
and radiation on the flour beetle (Tribolium).
Pre-irradiated pupa
flown in
B osatell to II
All of the latched embryos In this experiment
were produced from unfertilized eggs, These par-
thenogenically (no male parent) produced organ-
isms are experimentally advantageous because they
display all the effects of any genetic damage. Other
organisms usually take more than one generation
to reveal all effects of genetic damage. Because of
this attribute, genetic information about Habrobra-
con is the most complete of any organism.
Scientists attribute cell recovery to the fact that
cell division and metabolism are apparently slowed
down In a weightless environment. This slowdown
may enable the cell to repair the damage caused by
radiation.
Another result lent additinnal evidc Ti ,_e to pre
liminary inclj=,uns that weightlessness affects
actively dividing cells more than slowly growing
cells. Male Habrobracon sperm cells, which are
produced early and remain in so-called suspended
animation, were affected by radiation while in space
in the same way as similar cells were affected on
earth.
Adult from
Biosatellite
irradiated pupa
with split wings
 Effects of weightlessness
acct radiation on Habrobracon.

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Earth contro
Lemon color
mutant with 0
(normal) small eyes
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of flight irradiated males D
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Biosatell to II.
Pupal lethal mutant

SPAU RAFT AND

LAW VFHICLE DESCRIPTIONS

At launch, the 955-pound Biosatellite II con-

sisted of four major sections. These are the adapter
section, the thrust cone assembly, the forebody.
aid the experiments capsule.
The adapter is a 400-pound 5-foot long tapering
•/ cylinder with a maximum diameter of nearly 5 feet.
It contains equipment for satellite orientation and
for communication with earth. It Is cast adrift in
0
space when the other sections are being prepared
Black color body
for return to earth.
The thrust cone assembly, the forebody, and the
10
 Exploded view showing
principal B osatellite
II parts

Forebody Assembly

Entry Vehicle

Experiments
Capsule Assembly

Thermal Cover

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Thrust Cone Assembly

fapter Section

11

1
 a
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experiments capsule are referred to collectively as
the entry vehicle. The entry vehicle is also shaped
like a cylinder with a maximum dia-neter of 43/4
feet and an over-all length of about 4 feet. It
weighs 515 pounds.
The thrust cone assembly provides the retro-
rocket and other equipment needed to slow the
vehicle down for return from orbit. The thrust cone
assembly is then separated from the rest of the
entry vehicle.
During entry into the atmosphere, the forebody
functions as a heat shield to enable the experiments
capsule that it encloses to survive the blistering
heat. The experiments capsule is a sealed self-
contained laboratory providing all requirements for
carrying out experiments. The capsule also carries
the parachute system for slowing down the entry
vehicle in the atmosphere and a radio beacon to
help in pinpointing its location. A thermal cover over
the back end of the experiments capsule Is ejected
at an altitude of about 80,000 feet activating para-
chute deployment.
The launch of B!osatelhte II marked the 48th
success in 51 attempts for NASA's Delta rocket
vehicle. The capabilities of this particular vehicle
can be augmented by three small solid rockets that
are strapped to its first stage. With the solid rockets,
the vehicle is referred to as a Thrust-Augmented
Delta (TAD).
TAD has a total lift-off thrust of 328.000 pounds.
It is 92 feet high including the shroud or nose cone
that protects Its payload.
TAD can be employed with a single or two upper
stages. When used with a single upper stage, as in
the Biosatellite II experiment, it can place a 1,450-
pound spacecraft into orbit.

View of interior of Blosatellite II experiments capsule.

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