![]() But Spanish scientist Alejandra Traspas, a PhD student at Kent University at the time, wondered what happened to the tardigrades after the accident. The crash caused a small scandal: it was yet another example of the risk of biological contamination in the solar system due to the negligence of new space actors. There were no plans to rescue them or find out whether they could be rehydrated and resuscitated after the impact. And that’s how they remained after the privately funded spacecraft crash-landed on the Moon in 2019. The tardigrades, which are smaller than half a millimeter in size, were sent in a dehydrated dormant state, with their metabolism curtailed to 0.01% of normal. The question was not theoretical: two years ago, US millionaire Nova Spivac decided to send thousands of tardigrades to the Moon on Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft as part of a so-called “lunar library.” The mission, organized by Spivac’s NGO Arch Mission Foundation, was aimed at creating a “backup of planet Earth” on the Moon. Now a new study has subjected water bears to a literal trial by fire: the tardigrades were shot at extremely high speeds to see whether they could survive the impact. But a Moon crash is too much even for these sturdy creatures, which are tipped to be the only survivors on Earth if there is a mass extinction event given their amazing resilience. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic beings capable of surviving nearly everything: freezing temperatures, boiling water, decades without food.
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