‘Tardigrades’ were sent to the moon on Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft as a part of “lunar library”.
Enrich Your Learning:
- Tardigrades are the microscopic creatures, also called water bears or moss piglet.
- They are considered to be close relatives of arthropods. They are mostly about 1 mm or less in size.
- The animals have no known specialized organs of circulation or respiration; its body cavity (hemocoel) is filled with fluid that transports blood and oxygen. They have four pairs of stubby legs and a front-end.
- The most remarkable feature of the tardigrades is their ability to withstand extremely low temperatures and desiccation (extreme drying) including the frigid vacuum of space.
- Under unfavourable conditions, they go into a state of suspended animation called the “tun” state—in which the body dries out and appears as a lifeless ball (or tun).
- They can survive as tuns for years, or even decades, to wait out dry conditions.
Key Facts about tardigrades:
- The tardigrades were part of a “lunar library” sent to the moon on Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft.
- That library was a project of the Arch Mission Foundation; a non-profit organization whose goal is to create “a backup of planet Earth.”
- Beresheet attempted its landing in the Sea of Serenity on April 11, 2019, but crashed there.