Water Bears Are Headed for a Martian Moon
A delayed Russian mission will try again in two years to deliver Earth life to Phobos Water bears, the tiny creatures that have already been proven to survive direct exposure to the vacuum of space, were slated for launch to a Martian moon this month. But Russian officials chose to delay their first interplanetary mission in more than a decade due to safety and technical issues, until the next launch window opens in 2011. The Planetary Society hopes that its small payload experiment can help test the theory of panspermia, and see whether life can survive the long journey between Earth and other parts of the solar system. Toward that end, researchers packed representatives from all three kingdoms of Earth life into a small container meant to hitch a ride aboard Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission. Related Articles Tiny Naked Astronauts