ASTROBIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON BOARD RUSSIAN SPACE KRAFTS
E. A. Kuzicheva, N. B. Gontareva, M. B. Simakov
Institute of Cytology RAS, St. Petersburg;
e-mail: ngontar@mail.cytspb.rssi.ru
The possibility of prebiotic synthesis of nucleic acids components (nucleotides) has been demonstrated under condition of the space orbital stations and
satellites under effect of all space radiation spectra. Since a lot of different nucleic acids components are known to be present within small space bodies, we have
to investigate their chemical complication in respect with such components as nucleotides. The goal of this work is to review our results in the field of prebiotic
synthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides on the board of Russian space crafts. The increase in the solid reaction mixtures exposure time leads to degradation
of both initial components (nucleosides) and the reaction products (nucleotides). The dominating role of heat energy in the abiogenic reactions has been revealed in
laboratory (ground) experiments. Similar set of natural nucleotides has been synthesized under effect of different open space energy sources in both flight and
ground experiments. The formation of 5'-nucleotides is a dominating process. All the data are discussed in the context of exobiological investigations on the
Earth's orbit.
Key words: abiogenic synthesis, vacuum ultraviolet and ultraviolet radiation, nucleotides, nucleoside, biologically important compounds,
orbital space station
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