PharmaSat-1

From PicoSatPortal

Launch Date	19th May 2009
Operator	NASA
Launch Site	MARS LP-0B
Launcher	Minotaur-1
Satellite Mass	4 Kg
Perigee	436,4 km
Apogee	472,7 km
Inclinaison	40,5°
Communication	Beacon: 437.465 MHz (1200 bps AX.25, 150 mW, 0.5 seconds every 5 seconds) Up/Downlink: 2.4 GHz ISM band

PharmaSat 1 is the first mission in NASA MicroSat Free Flyer (µSat-FF) Project, a progressive, 4 mission, 5 year effort that is targeted towards developing and demonstrating autonomous nanosatellite space platforms and technologies to support multidisciplinary science investigations.

PharmaSat-1 will study the influence of microgravity on yeast resistance to an antifungal agent. PharmaSat will accomplish five critical functions in an autonomous free-flyer platform:

1. Provide life support and environmental control for growth of the yeast strain in 48 independent microwells

2. Dose the growing yeast with antifungal agent at the appropriate point on the growth curve with three distinct, well-defined dosage levels, plus a zero-dose control

3. Track the population of the yeast via optical density of each microwell before, during and after antifungal administration

4. Determine well-by-well yeast viability at multiple, well-defined times after antifungal administration using a colorimetric reagent, Alamar Blue

5. Telemeter the resulting population and viability data to Earth, along with system status data.