This article was about an animal that could survive in open space, which is extremely cold, where there is an incredible amount of dangerous radiation, and no oxygen. These animals are called Tardigrades, but they are also known as "Water Bears". This was the first time that scientists ever tested if an animal could survive the extreme conditions of open space with no protection, so scientist chose their test subjects very carefully. Tardigrades are very small invertebrates, about one to one and a half millimeters long, and they usually live in wet lichens and mosses. "Water Bears" are very resistant to dryness, due to their homes often being dry, and they can still live after years of dryness. This is not the only adaptation they possess, they are incredibly resistant to a high range of temperatures, hot and cold, and they also are resistant to radiation. Their adaptations were several of the adaptations needed to survive in open space.
In September of last year chosen Tardigrades were dried up and put into a low, 270 km, orbit around Earth were they were all vulnerable to the harsh conditions of open space. They were sent up by a European Space Agency FOTON-M3 spacecraft.When they were returned to Earth, scientist not only found out that most of them survived the vacuum and cosmic rays, but that some even survived the solar UV radiation which is 1000 times higher than on the surface of the Earth. The Water Bear survivors were still able to reproduce fine after the experiment, meaning that all the exposure did not affect these animals. The surprising conclusion to this experiment was that the Tardigrades survived the solar UV radiation that most organisms cannot survive. Scientists who ran this experiment were baffled by the results, while they are still not sure how this happened, they suspect that it was because of these animal's adaptation to extreme dryness.
This science investigator found this experiment very interesting. This opens up whole new ideas and options to scientists wondering how they can send the first man to Mars. Humans obviously cannot stay in open space without a space suit, and other important equipment. A human cannot go to Mars at all because until now scientist have failed to invent a way to make a space suit that can withstand the extreme conditions of Mars. If scientists observed and studied this animal more, they could possibly learn how they were physically able to survive open space. Once they have learned this they could possibly apply those physical traits to make a space suit that could withstand the extremes of Mars. Even though surviving open space near Earth is not nearly as incredible of a task as of surviving Mars, if an animal could do it without equipment, then it is not very hard to believe that man could go to Mars with the equipment necessary in the near future. That is what this science investigator concluded and wondered about after reading this science current event.
-LD
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908135906.htm- link to article
http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/09/080908135906.jpg - "water bear" picture link
Posts
