1997
Space milestones
BIOBOX and BIOPAN fly together
Foton-11 carries BIOBOX-3 and BIOPAN-2 simultaneously: two platforms with different functions, one dedicated to biological experiments under controlled conditions, the other to the direct exposure of samples to the space environment. The presence of both on the same mission demonstrates Kayser’s growing expertise in managing several experimental systems in parallel.
The Sojourner rover arrives on Mars
Mars Pathfinder lands on the Red Planet and releases Sojourner, the first rover to explore the Martian surface.
Missions & Payloads
STS 84
Sixth Space Shuttle docking mission with the Mir station. It is dedicated to crew rotation, the transfer of supplies and hardware, and the scientific activities of the Shuttle-Mir programme.
BIORACK
ESA facility dedicated to space biology experiments. It comprises incubators for controlling sample temperature, a glovebox for handling samples and centrifuges for conducting experiments at different acceleration levels. This configuration allows the response of biological systems to different gravitational conditions to be studied.
STS 81
Fifth Space Shuttle docking mission with the Mir station. It enables crew rotation and the transfer of supplies and scientific equipment.
FOTON 11
Orbital mission with a recoverable capsule dedicated to experimentation in microgravity. It hosts the European BIOBOX-3 platform, for biological experiments under controlled conditions, and BIOPAN-2, for the direct exposure of samples to the space environment.
BIORACK
Multi-user, reusable biological facility developed by ESA to study the effects of microgravity and radiation on cells, tissues, plants, bacteria and small organisms. It functions as a miniature laboratory, capable of hosting several biological experiments simultaneously. The configuration used on STS-81 comprises two incubators, maintained at approximately 22 °C and 36.5 °C respectively, a glovebox for sample handling and two variable-speed centrifuges. The centrifuges allow samples to be maintained at controlled acceleration levels and compared directly with those exposed to microgravity.
BIOBOX 3
Third operational configuration of ESA’s BIOBOX facility, an automatic incubator for cell biology experiments in microgravity. The system maintains a temperature-controlled environment between approximately 6 and 37 °C, can accommodate up to 24 experimental containers and is equipped with telemetry, telecommand and an internal 1 g centrifuge. The centrifuge allows samples exposed to microgravity to be compared, during the same flight, with control samples maintained at 1 g, helping to distinguish the effects of different gravitational conditions. Aboard Foton-11, the laboratory hosts experiments mainly dedicated to bone tissue metabolism and formation.
MOMO
MOMO, Morphological Transition and Model Substances, is a facility for studying the solidification of materials. It uses transparent substances that reproduce some of the behaviours of metals, allowing direct observation of the shape and evolution of the interface between the liquid and solid phases. In 1997, it flies aboard the Space Shuttle on mission STS-84. The research explores the formation of microstructures during solidification, with potential applications in industrial casting and materials production processes. Kayser builds the Peltier systems for the experiment’s thermal control.
BIOPAN 2
ESA experimental platform installed outside the Foton-11 capsule, designed to expose biological and chemical samples directly to the space environment. It is circular, with a diameter of approximately 38 cm, a height of 23 cm and a mass of around 27–30 kg. Once orbit is reached, a motorised lid opens, exposing the experiments to vacuum, solar ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays and temperature variations under microgravity conditions. Before re-entry, the lid closes again to protect the samples. The flight mainly hosts radiobiology, dosimetry and exobiology experiments.