ESA BIOPAN-1 - VITAMIN EXPERIMENT PRELIMINARY-RESULTS

The purpose of ''Vitamin'' experiment is to study the efficiency of pr otective substances on three biological acellular systems aqueous solu tions exposed to cosmic radiation in space. The first system ''LDL'' i s a low density lipoprotein. The second is ''E(2)-TeBG complexe'' in w hich estradiol (E(2)) is bound to its plasmatic carrier protein, testo sterone-estradiol binding globulin (TeBG). The third is ''pBR 322'', a plasmid. ''Vitamin'' experiment was accomodated in the Biopan which h ad been mounted on the outer surface of a Foton retrievable satellite. The experiment was exposed to space environment during 15 days. A sta ble temperature of about 20 degrees C was maintained throughout the fl ight. ''Vitamin'' experiment preliminary results are presented and dis cussed.