Tardigrades are microscopic indestructible species; believed to have survived an apocalypse and the vacuum of space. Now, scientists in the US propose sending these indestructible water bears to distant stars in the Milky Way to know how interstellar space travel could affect their ability to survive extreme conditions in space.
They suggest using small space probes called StarChips that will contain tardigrades and travel at 30% of the speed of light into space propelled by laser light instead of rocket fuel stationed on Earth or the Moon.
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MailOnline reported that probes could reach the Proxima Centauri in 20 years if they travel at 100 million miles per hour. However, researchers admit that the launch process could consume 1/10 of the country's electrical grid.
Scientists propose using photon propulsion as a realistic option because of its capability and low cost since neither chemical nor nuclear propulsion strategies can blast tardigrades and worms to space at near light speed in space.
Researchers wrote in their study, titled "Interstellar Space Biology Via Project Starlight," published in the journal Acta Astronautica, that they plan to send tardigrades and the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegant to interstellar space travel via a light-powered spacecraft. Currently, these species are being experimented with within the International Space Station to see how they react in space.
NASA supports this project under their Starlight program will be using large-scale directed energy to propel small spacecraft to relativistic space in preparation for future human interstellar space travels.
The tardigrades will be put into StarChips and awakened upon reaching their destination. The data from this experiment will be sent back to Earth for scientists to know what to expect on human interstellar missions, which is impossible to gather during Earth-based research or even trips on planets within the Solar System.
Professor Joel Rothman, one of the authors of the study from the University of California, Santa Barbara, said that this project could inspire the design of interstellar transporters that could ameliorate issues detected in the interstellar space travel of tardigrades.
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Why Tardigrades Are the Best Option For This Experiment?
German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze first discovered tardigrades in 1773 and gave them the nickname "water bears" because of their podgy and adorable appearance. Previous experiments have revealed that these microscopic creatures are virtually impossible to kill even through freezing, boiling, crushing, and zapping them with radiation.
MailOnline reported that scientists thought tardigrades make the best candidate for shooting into space using lasers as long as they do not move until they reach the desired destination.
Professor Rothman said that scientists would be able to see how well tardigrades could remember trained behavior when flying away from their earthly origin at 30% of the speed of light. This will allow for their metabolism, physiology, neurological function, aging, and reproduction.
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