Tardigrades may be alive on the Moon

9 Aug 2019

Tardigrades may be alive on the Moon

Tardigrades may be alive on the MoonThe Beresheet spacecraft crash-landed on the Moon on April 2019. The spacecraft contained thousands of tardigrades (a type of microscopic animals) also known as 'water bears' or 'moss piglets'. Scientists believe that they may be still alive!

The Beresheet spacecraft and the Lunar Library

In April 2019, an Israeli lunar lander called Beresheet crash-landed on the Moon. Only one interesting cargo called the Lunar Library is believed to have survived.

The Lunar Library is a 30 million page collection of human history and civilisation.
 	It contains all subjects, cultures, nations, languages, genres, and time periods.
 	If something happens to Earth, it’s meant to be a ‘backup' of earth-life.
 	The Lunar Library also contained human DNA samples and some dehydrated tardigrades.

How can the tardigrades still be still alive?

Tardigrades are the toughest creatures in the world. They can survive extremely low temperatures and harsh conditions. Even when dehydrated, they can live for decades and can be revived later.

Tardigrades are little eight-legged animals, about one millimetre in size.
 	They mostly live in water and can be found all over the world, from polar regions to the hot equator and the deep sea.

Therefore, scientists feel they will still be alive. Perhaps, we will get more information about them from future space missions.

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The Beresheet spacecraft crash-landed on the Moon on April 2019. The spacecraft contained thousands of tardigrades (a type of microscopic animals) also known as ‘water […]

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