Radiobiological investigations in Cosmos 782 space flight (Biobloc SF1 experiment)

Several biological objects were flown in Cosmos 782 in order to investigate the effects of HZE cosmic particles and other environmental factors of space. Space flight results in chromosomic aberrations in lettuce seeds, decreased germination rate and increased frequency of abnormalities in tobacco seeds and decreased developmental capacity in Artemia eggs. In lettuce and tobacco seedlings, changes were observed not only in seeds hit by heavy ions but also in nonhit seeds. The results indicate that exposure to the space environment can induce important changes in biological objects and emphasize the usefulness of investigations carried out on organisms less complex than mammals.