Environmental Testbench
EQUATORIAL SUNLIT
Biophysical Mechanism: Unshielded solar UV-C (254nm equivalent) causes rapid thymine dimerization and cross-linking within 48 hours. Regolith shielding >10 cm absorbs ~99.9% UV and buffers temperature extremes.
Viable Recovery Rate
0.04%
Viable Cells / 10⁶
400
DNA Double-Strand Breaks
48.2 / kb
Thermal Range
-130°C / +120°C
Radiation Influx
840 Gy
Forward Contamination
CATEGORY IV-A: HIGH RISK
MICROSCOPIC CELLULAR SPORE MATRIX
UV PHOTOLESIONS ACTIVE
SURVIVABILITY KINETICS (LOG VIABILITY)
MULTI-FACTOR BIODEGRADATION
Planetary Protection Assessment & Biosignature Analysis
COSPAR POLICY ARTEMIS STANDARD
At 180 days on unshielded equatorial surface, continuous Solar UV-C flux delivers >150 kJ/m² photodose, driving viable spore fraction down to 0.04%. Deep-strand mutations prevent colony forming recovery upon standard nutrient rehydration. Subsurface burial protects DNA repair machinery.