Tiny ‘water bears’ from Earth may have survived Israeli spacecraft crash on moon

Israeli Beresheet probe that crashed on moon in April had an unusual cargo: a few thousand tiny tardigrades, the toughest animals on Earth

Scientists believe the millimetre-long animals, sometimes known as water bears or moss piglets, may have survived the crash

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The millimetre-long animals, sometimes known as water bears or moss piglets after their favoured environment and food, resemble cheerful eight-legged maggots wearing distinctly sphincter-like faces. Photo: Corbis

Published: 10:27am, 7 Aug 2019Updated: 8:36pm, 7 Aug 2019

There might be life on the moon after all: thousands of virtually indestructible creatures that can withstand extreme radiation, sizzling heat, the coldest temperatures of the universe, and decades without food.

These terrifying-sounding beings aren’t aliens but instead microscopic Earthlings known as tardigrades, who likely made it out alive following a crash landing on the lunar surface by Israel’s Beresheet probe in April, the US-based organisation responsible for their trip said Tuesday.

Based on an analysis of the spacecraft’s trajectory and the composition of the device the micro-animals were stored in, “we believe the chances of survival for the tardigrades … are extremely high,” Nova Spivack, co-founder and chairman of the Arch Mission Foundation, said.

The non-profit is dedicated to spreading backups of human knowledge and Earth’s biology throughout the Solar System, a quest it likens to the creation of an “Encyclopaedia Galactica” first evoked by sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov.

An image taken by the Israel spacecraft Beresheet before it crashed on the moon. Photo: Reuters

“Tardigrades are ideal to include because they are microscopic, multicellular, and one of the most durable forms of life on planet Earth,” said Spivack.

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