In 2007, ESA exposed 3,000 tardigrades to space vacuum and solar UV radiation in low Earth orbit; 68% revived when the microscopic animals were rehydrated |
In September 2007, the European Space Agency launched roughly 3,000 tardigrades into low Earth orbit aboard the Biopan-6 platform on the FOTON-M3 mission. Known as water bears, these microscopic animals were dried into a dormant state before being exposed directly to the vacuum of space, alongside doses of solar and cosmic radiation, for ten days…
