Life On Mars Pregnancy Test Successfully Launched

The Soyuz-U rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 13:00 CEST (11:00 GMT) on 14 September 2007, for the start of the 12-day Foton-M3 mission. Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja 2007

Launched on 14th September 2007 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as part of the European Space Agency's BIOPAN-6 experiment platform, the Life Marker Chip (LCM) experiment components directly encounter the harsh space environment while orbiting around Earth in the un-manned Russian FOTON spacecraft.

Preparation of the Foton-M3 spacecraft at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja

As BIOPAN-6 platform was in space it opened to expose it contents directly to the space environment, testing both their resistance to space radiation and the space vacuum, before returning to Earth next week. The LCM components will be then be taken back to the labs to analyse the effect of the space flight.

Biopan is designed to carry out experiments requiring direct exposure to the harsh space environment. On Foton-M3 Biopan contains 10 different experiments in the field of exobiology and radiation exposure. Biopan is located on the outside surface of Foton and, once in orbit, automatically opens to expose its experiments. Biopan is closed prior to re-entry. Credits: ESA

The LMC experiment aims to detect trace levels of biomarkers in Martian environment in its search for life. This tiny experiment - 3.8 cm x 4.1 cm x 1.3 cm – has more than 2000 life-detecting samples that glow upon encountering molecules associated with life on Earth. The LMC instrument us being developed under UK lead for ESA’s ExoMars mission (planned launch in 2013).