SAMARA, Aug. 17 Scientists from the Samara branch of the Lebedev Physical Institute and Samara University. Korolyova are working on assembling the equipment of a space factory for the synthesis of the «bricks» of life — biochemical molecules that make up all known life forms on Earth, it will start operating in Samara by the end of this year, the press service of the university reported.
«The key element of the Samara Center for Laboratory Astrophysics of the Samara Branch of the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SF FIAN) will be this world-class experimental facility that reproduces the conditions of deep space and makes it possible to simulate the effect of cosmic ionizing radiation on analogues of extraterrestrial ice in a wide range of chemical and physical parameters. The main part of the installation has already been assembled — this is a vacuum chamber for creating an ultrahigh vacuum. It is planned to complete the assembly this fall, the working start-up of the installation and the start of experiments are scheduled for the end of this year,» the press service of the Director of the SF Lebedev Institute, Professor of the Department of Physics Valery Azyazov quotes .
According to the scientist, there is not yet a single laboratory in the world that would have all the necessary competencies and capabilities to achieve significant progress in this interdisciplinary activity at the intersection of physics, chemistry, biology and astronomy.
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«Although studies of the interaction of ionizing radiation with analogues of interstellar ices have been carried out for almost half a century, understanding of the synthesis of complex organic molecules in interstellar space is still in its infancy. Previous studies were limited by the technical capabilities for conducting experiments and the insufficient level of equipment for analyzing the resulting molecules» — said Azyazov.
The university clarifies that inside the installation being created in Samara it will be possible to reproduce the conditions of various parts of the interstellar medium — from cold molecular clouds to star formation regions. The bulk of the experiments will take place at temperatures from 10 to 50 degrees K (from -263 to -223 °C), although in general the temperature of the experiments can be changed in a wide range from 4 to 350 degrees K (from -269 to +76 °C). ). Special pumps will create an ultra-high vacuum inside the main chamber of the installation, which will prevent the appearance of any contaminants or impurities in the working space.
According to scientists, during these experiments it will be possible to obtain biologically important molecules and then, for example, it will be possible to understand how the simplest amino acids are formed in space, which then can get to Earth with the help of meteorites. The scientific equipment can also be used to test the radiation strength of promising materials for the skin of spacecraft and satellites.
«The facility will have a variety of sources of various radiation and will be able to show what happens to a particular substance in space. It is easily adapted to determine the radiation stability of materials and coatings of space probes and lunar stations» , — Azyazov clarified.