Tanpopo mission

The Japanese Kibo module (left) and the Exposed Facility Unit (right)

The Tanpopo mission is an orbital astrobiology experiment investigating the potential interplanetary transfer of life, organic compounds, and possible terrestrial particles in the low Earth orbit. The purpose is to assess the panspermia hypothesis and the possibility of natural interplanetary transport of microbial life as well as prebiotic organic compounds.

The collection and exposure phase took place from May 2015 through February 2018 utilizing the Exposed Facility located on the exterior of Kibo, the Japanese Experimental Module of the International Space Station.[1] The mission, designed and performed by Japan, used ultra-low density silica gel (aerogel) to collect cosmic dust by,[2] which is being analyzed for amino acid-related compounds and microorganisms following their return to Earth.[3] The last samples were retrieved in February 2018 and analyses are ongoing.[4] The principal investigator is Akihiko Yamagishi, who heads a team of researchers from 26 universities and institutions in Japan, including JAXA.

  1. ^ NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 13 May 2015
  2. ^ Tabata, M; Imai, E; Yano, H; Hashimoto, H; Kawai, H; et al. (2014). "Design of a Silica-aerogel-based Cosmic Dust Collector for the Tanpopo Mission Aboard the International Space Station". Transactions of the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Aerospace Technology Japan. 12 (ISTS 29): Pk_29–Pk_34. arXiv:1406.3160. Bibcode:2014JSAST..12.Pk29T. doi:10.2322/tastj.12.Pk_29. S2CID 118448985.
  3. ^ Current State of Organics Exposure Experiments In the Tanpopo Mission (PDF). K. Kobayashi, H. Mita, H. Y. Kebukawa, K. Nakagawa, E. Imai, H. Yano, H. Hashimoto, S. Yokobori, A. Yamagishi. JAXA. January 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Expedition Duration was invoked but never defined (see the help page).