Exobiology and Radiation Assembly (ERA)

Description

The Exobiology and Radiation Assembly (ERA) experiment on the European Retrievable Carrier (Eureca) is a multi-user life science facility for excperiments on the biological effects of space radiation. The ERA consists of deployable and fixed experiment trays and a number of cylindrical stacks (Biostacks) containing biological objects such as spores, seeds or eggs alternated with radiation and track detectors. The facility also includes an electronic service module. The deployable trays carry biological specimens which are exposed to different components of the space radiation environment for predetermined periods of time. The duration of exposure is controlled by shutters and the type of radiation is selected by optical bandpass filters.