OREOcube

OREOcube (ORganics Exposure in Orbit cube) is an experiment designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with the NASA that will investigate the effects of solar and cosmic radiation on selected organic compounds. It will consist in a 12-month orbital study of the effects of the outer space environment on astrobiologically relevant materials in an external exposure facility on the International Space Station (ISS).

The project was originally aimed to be launched in 2016, however as of 2024 it has not yet been launched [1] will examine the evolution of complex organic molecules in outer space, as well as the forms in which prebiotic organic compounds has been preserved. It will also study the role that solid mineral surfaces play in the photo-chemical evolution, transport, and distribution of organics. The principal investigator is Pascale Ehrenfreund.

  1. ^ , NASA Launch Summary OREOcube — launch: TBA; launcher: TBA Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.