In March of 2009, the ORGANIC experiment was integrated into the European EXPOSE-R facility on the International Space Station (ISS). EXPOSE-R contained experiments dedicated to Astrobiology, and was mounted externally on the ISS where the organic samples it contained were exposed to the space environment for 97 days. The samples, including those of the ORGANIC experiment, were then returned to Earth in the spring of 2011. During the 22 months outside the ISS, ORGANIC samples were exposed to direct solar irradiation of more than 2500 hours, exceeding the limits of laboratory simulations.

The 14 samples in the ORGANIC experiment package included compounds known as Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and fullerenes. PAHs are present in many space environments, including external galaxies, and in solar system materials like meteorites and possibly comets. Fullerenes have been identified in young planetary nebula. These compounds are among the most abundant organic materials in space, and could have played a role in the origins of life on the early Earth. Studying the the stability of these molecules can help astrobiologists understand the evolution and degradation of large carbon-containing molecules in space environments.

The research team behind ORGANIC recently published a discussion of the experiment package and the anticipated results upon its return from the ISS, in the journal Advances in Space Research. Funding for the project was provided by the Netherlands Space Office NSO and the NASA Astrobiology Institute (Stability of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Fullerenes in Space Environment).

Reference: K.L. Bryson et al. 2011. The ORGANIC experiment on EXPOSE-R on the ISS: Flight sample preparation and ground control spectroscopy. Advances in Space Research 48, 1980-1996.