Biosatellite 1, also known as Biosat 1 and Biosatellite A, was the first mission in NASA's

Biosatellite program NASA's Biosatellite program was a series of three uncrewed artificial satellites to assess the effects of spaceflight, especially radiation and weightlessness, on living organisms. Each was designed to reenter Earth's atmosphere and be recovered ...

. It was launched on December 14, 1966, by a Delta G rocket from Launch Complex 17A of the

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the statio ...

into an orbit with a perigee, apogee, and 33.5 degrees of orbital inclination, with a period of 90.5 minutes. Biosatellite 1 was carrying several specimens for studying the effects of the space environment on biological processes. Prior to

reentry Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the ...

, the entry capsule separated from the satellite bus properly, but the deorbit motor failed to ignite, leaving it stranded in a slowly decaying orbit. It re-entered and disintegrated on February 15, 1967.

Experiments

* Effects of Weightlessness on Wheat Seedling

Morphogenesis Morphogenesis (from the Greek ''morphê'' shape and ''genesis'' creation, literally "the generation of form") is the biological process that causes a cell, tissue or organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of deve ...

and

Histochemistry Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the most common application of immunostaining. It involves the process of selectively identifying antigens (proteins) in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to ant ...

* Growth

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

of the Wheat Seedling in Space * Biochemical Changes in Developing Wheat Seedling in Weightless State * Effects of Weightlessness of the Dividing Egg of Rana Pipiens * Mutational Response of Habrobracon * Liminal Angle of a Plagiogeotropic Organ under Weightlessness * Effects of Radiation and Weightlessness on Tribolium Pupae * Effects of Weightlessness on Radiation Induced Somatic Damage in

Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many speci ...

* Effects of Space Environ on Radiation- Induced Damage to Repro Cells of Pupae * Genetic and

Cytologic Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

Studies of Tradescantia Irradiated During Flight * Combined Effects of Weightlessness and Radiation on Inact.+Mutation-Induct * Spc Flt Eff-Gamma Rad Interaction on Growth+Induction of Lysogenic Bacteria * Effects of Weightlessness on

Amoeba An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; plural ''am(o)ebas'' or ''am(o)ebae'' ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudop ...

, Pelomyxa Carolinensis

References

1966 in spaceflight Biosatellites Spacecraft launched in 1966 Spacecraft which reentered in 1967 Spacecraft launched by Delta rockets {{satellite-stub