Rock and antibody blast into space (9/17/2007)

Foton M3 mission carries 40 experiments in life and physical sciences - Image Credit: ESA

A specially prepared slab of Orkney rock and an antibody from University spin out Haptogen Ltd are among a number of experiments that will spend 12 days orbiting the earth on the European Space Agency Foton M3 mission.

Depending on the success of this space mission, antibodies from Haptogen could be used in the coming years to search for life on Mars.

More than 60 scientists and technicians have been preparing for today's space launch. Among them are Professor John Parnell, from the University's School of Geosciences, and Professor Andy Porter from award- winning biotech, Haptogen.

Launching at lunchtime from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the unmanned Foton M3 mission will carry 40 experiments in life and physical sciences.

The Foton capsule will then spend the next 12 days exposing the experiments to microgravity. Some tests will also be exposed to the harsh environment of open space, before the probe re-enters the atmosphere and lands in the border zone between Russia and Kazakhstan.

The rock sample will test the theory held by many planetary scientists that meteorites can carry primitive life from one planet to another. Some also suggest that life on Earth may have arrived this way from Mars. But it is not known whether organic material in rock can survive the heat of entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Professor Parnell's experiment hopes to answer that. He said: "We are sending a piece of Scottish rock, which is from Orkney, attached to a Russian spacecraft.

"The objective behind this is to look at the rock's behaviour when it is exposed during re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere - when temperatures are extreme. This will tell us something about the likelihood of life being transferred between planets on meteorites.

"The Orkney rock is a very robust material but it will be interesting to see if organic matter in the rock is robust enough to survive the harsh conditions endured during re-entering the Earth's atmosphere."

The Orkney rock was sent to Vienna to be specially sculpted to the right shape - about the size of a bowler hat - and will be attached to the side of the Russian spacecraft. The choice of Orcadian rock is perfect material to send into space because it is organic-rich, extremely hard and robust, and can also be used as a target for impact cratering experiments.

Haptogen is supplying a specially selected antibody - a protein in the body which helps fight infection. Antibodies can be used outside the body too and for the past 30 years their binding abilities have led to their routine use in items such as pregnancy testing kits.

Now scientists wonder if antibodies could also be used to look for life on Mars. And if they can survive the harsh space environment, Haptogen could provide a sample for the ExoMars mission which aims to land a robotic rover on the Red Planet in 2013.

Professor Andy Porter is Chief Scientific Officer for Haptogen which is using antibodies to create new ways for delivering drugs to fight key diseases such as cancer.

Professor Porter said: "This is a radical departure from Haptogen's usual commercial focus on drug discovery. However we have been delighted to use our antibody engineering experience to help this non-commercial European consortium realise such an exciting piece of off-world science."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of Aberdeen

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