Sensors for biological experiments in Space

Two space sensors were developed by Carso in collaboration with DAS under the MOMA project with the scientific responsibility of IC-CNR. The first, PhotoII-M3 Sensor for Foton Biopan M3, is a multicell fluorimeter that has successfully flown on the Foton satellite. The sensor has 24 measuring cells, each equipped with survival and excitation light sources and a detector with interference filter. Among these there are 8 large cells with survival lights. This instrument is completely autonomous, containing rechargeable batteries giving the required power for the duration and electronics of the mission with a modular architecture based on microcontrollers. The entire mission is pre-programmed before flight and the instrument executes automatically the required cycles, allowing the generation of the day/night sequences for the survival lights, the execution of measures each hour and the storage of the measurements data. The second instrument, BIOS Bioluminescence Sensor for ISS, is a prototype of a cooling multicell fluorimeter for the ISS. This sensor is based on a strongly integrated measuring part with the possibility to freeze the biological material inside the cell. Particular attention was given to the thermoelectric cell selection and implementation in order to obtain an efficient cooling system, optimized for low energy consumption requirement. A detailed description of the instrumental architecture and functional performances will be given.