ArticleBody:NASA is inviting audiences to watch live as astronauts gather for microbial life clinging to the International Space Station. On June 13 at 8AM EST, Tracy C. Dyson and Matt Dominick will leave through the ISS Quest airlock to collect samples of microorganisms that will then be analyzed to hopefully learn more about how some of the tiniest known living entities can survive in the harsh vacuum of space.
Tardigrades, also known as “water bears,” have been documented surviving outside the Earth’s atmosphere for as long as 10 days, while certain bacteria and microbes can even endure for years. Learning how microscopic life manages these feats of self-preservation could help researchers gain a better understanding of how life first originated on Earth—and how it may even travel between planets nestled within meteors and comets.