An important subject of astrobiological interest is the study of the effect of ultraviolet radiation on microorganisms and their protection mechanisms against this damaging agent. UV radiation is considered highly mutagenic and sterilizing, especially during the period of origin of life on Earth when the absence of the ozone layer meant there was no effective protection against ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ferric iron, the product of iron metabolism, as a consequence of its spectral properties, has been suggested to provide protection against radiation making the study of its protective effect on acidophilic microorganisms from the Tinto ecosystem (Amils et al., 2003; Lopez-Archilla et al., 2001) of interest in order to gain information about its possible implications in the development of life during the Archaean as well as on planets lacking a protective atmosphere such as Mars. The studies described in this paper constitute preliminary experiments to be further expanded in future European Space Agency and NASA space missions in the absence of a protective atmosphere and in collaboration with international partners.
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