Journal of Astrobiology & Outreach

Abstract

Tardigrade Exposure to Outer Space Conditions – An Experimental Validation

Vasanthan T, Lubberdink A and Stone J

Researchers have identified and used regions characterized by extreme environmental conditions on Earth as analogue sites for conducting astrobiological experiments. Researchers also have simulated extreme environmental conditions in laboratory settings. Whether data obtained at analogue sites or in laboratory settings would be similar to data obtained extraterrestrially is unknown because opportunities for comparison occur very rarely. We realized such an opportunity by replicating a ‘bioexposure’ experiment that was conducted recently in Earth orbit. Tardigrades (Phylum Tardigrada – extreme-tolerant, microscopic invertebrate animals) exposed to desiccation and radiation treatment combinations in a laboratory setting yielded survivorship curves similar to survivorship curves yielded in 2007 by Tardigrades exposed to outer space conditions in the BIOPAN facility aboard the FOTON-M3 spacecraft. This constitutes the first direct comparison demonstrating that data acquired extraterrestrially can be replicated in a laboratory setting on Earth, validating Earth- based, laboratory setting research.