On April 11, 2019 unmanned Israeli spacecraft Beresheet crashed into the Moon during a failed landing. Historians will mark this day as first unintentional Moon crash in 48 years, learn more at https://www.livescience.com/65218-moon-crash-beresheet.html
That said, Beresheet might be credited with depositing life on the Moon. Robotic lander Beresheet carried a payload of 30 million digitized pages of information about human culture and society, human DNA samples and Tardigrades. Human DNA and Tardigrade were locked in resin, held in place by sticky tape onto which thousands more Tardigrade were placed.
Tardigrade, aka “water bear”, are the only known life form capable of surviving airless vacuums of space and lethal radiation levels. Remarkable yes, mind blowing when considered with additional facts – Tardigrade can survive six times the pressure of our deepest ocean, frozen to absolute zero (-273 C) or boiled above 150 C. Dehydrate a Tardigrade for years then add water, voila – business as usual. Eventually they succumb to old age, but don’t hold your breath, life expectancy is 200 years.
In the wake of Beresheet’s fiery demise, indestructible Tardigrade litter the lunar surface. Did they vaporize on impact? I care to think not – Tardigrade are the definition of extremophile, if anything can survive crash landing on the Moon, it’s a Tardigrade.
Imagine, if you will, coupled with a fiery explosion and a freak of miracles; Tardigrades AND human DNA combined…
hmmmm
Rumour has it that there may already be tardigrades on the Moon, because they’re just about impossible to kill, so standard sterilisation procedure don’t work, and there may have been accidental transfer of the little critters. I had toyes wih=th the idea of a blogpost about this, but you beat me to the post.
I wrote a ponder about Tardigrade several years ago. In my mind evolution adapts species to environment, that said – why would a Earth-bound species evolve to survive cosmic radiation, temperature, lack of oxygen/gravity, live a astonishingly long life, survive years of dehydrated hibernation? My money is on Tardigrade in space. 🙂
It’s not unreasonable as an argument. Ever heard the one about so many people freak about spiders because they’re not terrestrial?
Really? News to me (and I’m a spider lover). Go figure
This gained some traction in the 70s, so you’re too young
I wish young defined me. I’ll turn 60 in a few months.
I’ve still got a few years on you… 🙂
I preferred it when I was younger and the moon an impossible dream … now lovers everywhere will look up and break the embrace long enough to say … “Ooooooh, yeuch! Tardigrades …”
Oh but they’re so cute!
That’s what they said about me when I was a pup …
Wise old dogs are just as charming.:)
If I had two dead rats (and if I knew where you live) I’d share …
sniff
Sniff, sniff indeed! I live in Vancouver, but we have quite enough rats thank you very much. Years ago one found its way into my bedroom (came in through a cat door) Oh hell no, not in my house! Ran outside, grabbed a cinder block from the garden, briefly pondered height/velocity, flattened rat in one blow. Geez – I wonder how many Tardigrade were on that cement block? 🙂
Well done! You have rugged rats — one of ours would have squelched …
Not the first rat I’ve flattened.