Axiom Mission 4

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a distinguished pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF), has been selected for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Among the studies set to be carried out is ISRO’s Voyager Tardigrades project, which will investigate the revival, survival, and reproduction of tardigrades – creatures that have long fascinated scientists.

WHAT ARE WATER BEARS OR TARDIGRADES?

“Water bear” is a bit of a misnomer for these microscopic eight-legged animals, which don’t just live in water. Measuring between 0.1 and 0.5 millimetres, they are known for surviving the most dire physical environments, from arid regions to high up in the Himalayas. They can also go without food or water for up to years, although their average lifespan is not more than a decade.

This incredible resilience is why the animals have been on Earth for around 600 million years, and will likely withstand any major changes to the Earth’s climate in the near future as well.

How are they able to do this? Scientists are still trying to understand the complex mechanisms involved, but one part of the equation is a process resembling hibernation. For instance, amid a lack of water, they can theoretically shut down all the life processes happening inside them.

Thomas Boothby, an assistant professor for the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Wyoming, told NASA that the animals pull their eight little legs and head inside their cuticle, which is an exoskeleton. They essentially curl into tiny ball-like structures known as tuns. When their physical environment improves, they can return to their normal selves.

BUT WHY IS ISRO TAKING TARDIGRADES TO SPACE?

Tardigrades are the only known animals capable of surviving even in the cold vacuum of Space. In 2007, a crewless Russian capsule on a European Space Agency (ESA) mission exposed some 3,000 tardigrades to the vacuum of space for 10 days, and they were left out there in low-Earth orbit (altitude under 2,000 km). Over two-thirds of the animals survived the mission and even gave birth to offspring upon returning to Earth.

The ISRO project will examine the revival of dormant tardigrades, count the number of eggs laid and hatched during a mission, and compare the gene expression patterns of spaceflown vs. ground control populations. The research seeks to identify molecular mechanisms of resilience, potentially furthering understanding about the limits of life in extreme environments.

This knowledge could inform future space exploration and help develop biotechnology applications on Earth, at a time when governments and private companies are lining up to carry out Space missions.

Reposted from: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/this-word-means-water-bears-tardigrades-isro-9955372/