A new discovery made by scientists from NASA and the German Aerospace Center opens the way not only to
“We have successfully tested a new methodtargeting bacteria and fungi in Mars-like environments using a balloon to fly our experimental equipment to Earth's stratosphere. Some microbes, particularly black mold spores, were able to survive the trip, even when exposed to very strong UV radiation.”
Marta Filipa Cortesao, study author from the German Aerospace Center.
Understanding the resistance of microbes to spacetravel is vital to the success of future missions. When looking for extraterrestrial life, scientists need to be sure that whatever is discovered didn't just fly away with us from Earth.
Long-term crewed missions to Marsyou need to know how human-related microorganisms will survive on the Red Planet, since some of them can pose a danger to the health of astronauts. And other microbes can be invaluable for space exploration, for example helping to produce food and materials independently of Earth, which will be critical on a long journey and at such a distance.
Many key environmental characteristicson the surface of Mars it is impossible to find or easily reproduce on the surface of our planet, but above the ozone layer in the middle stratosphere of the Earth, conditions are remarkably similar.
“We launched microbes into the stratosphere inMARSBOx, Martian pressure was maintained inside, and an artificial Martian atmosphere was created in the apparatus throughout the mission. The box contained two layers of samples, with the bottom layer protected from radiation. This allowed us to isolate the effects of radiation from other test conditions: dehumidification, atmosphere, and temperature fluctuations during flight. The top layer samples were exposed to more than a thousand times more UV radiation than normal, which can cause sunburn on the skin.”
Marta Filipa Cortesao, study author from the German Aerospace Center.
Not all microbes survived the flight.But the black mold of Aspergillus niger survives even after returning from flight. The use of artificial vehicles that mimic the Martian environment, such as the MARSBOx balloon in the stratosphere, is a truly important way to study the full impact of space travel on microbes and how we can use this knowledge to make amazing space discoveries.
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