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Abstract— A UV‐dosimeter has been developed for routine measurements which mainly weights the various components of the spectrum in relation to their damaging effects on a microorganism. For this purpose a biofilm was constructed, comprising dried spores of Bacillus subtilis (wild‐type or DNA repair defective strain), immobilized on transparent polyester plastic sheets. After irradiation, the biofilm was incubated in a growth medium. The proteins, synthesized by the immobilized microorganisms after spore germination and several cell divisions, were stained and determined by photometry, giving a measure of the biological activity. The ”biologically effective dose“ was determined from a calibration curve. It reflects the dose equivalent to that of the calibration source producing the same effect. The UV‐response of the biofilm is additive and follows the reciprocity law in the range of fluence rates investigated. The response is nearly independent of temperature within the range of ‐20°C to +70°C as well as of humidity between about 37 and 80% relative humidity. Storage for up to 9 months at <70% relative humidity and room temperature does not significantly influence the viability of the spores.

Preliminary results of the Spacelab 1 experiment on the response of Bacillus subtilis spores to conditions of free space are presented. Exposure to the vacuum of space on the Spacelab pallet reduced viability counts about 50 percent and increased mutation frequencies by a factor of about 10. Interpretation of apparent differences in the photobiological and photochemical data between flight and ground simulation experiments will require more statistical analyses and data from actual fluence measurements.

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The main objective was to assess the influence of the seasonal stratospheric ozone depletion on the UV climate in Antarctica by using a biological test system. This method is based on the UV sensitivity of a DNA repair-deficient strain of Bacillus subtUis (TKJ 6321). In our field experiment, dried layers of B. subtilis spores on quartz discs were exposed in different seasons in an exposure box open to solar radiation at the German Antarctic Georg von Neumayer Station (70°37'S, 8°22'W). The UV-induced loss of the colony-forming ability was chosen as the biological end point and taken as a measure for the absorbed biologically harmful UV radiation. Inactivation constants were calculated from the resulting dose-response curves. The results of field

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