Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #30790: How Do Life’s Toughest Survivors Handle Space? The Story of Dormant Earth Creatures in Orbit

When you think about space, what comes to mind? Maybe stars, planets, or the silence of the void. But there’s another, lesser-known dimension of space exploration that is just as fascinating: sending Earth-based organisms to see how they survive in such a foreign and extreme environment. That’s exactly what the experiment titled “Exposure of Resting Stages of Terrestrial Organisms to Space Conditions” set out to explore.

Why resting stages? On Earth, many organisms—like tardigrades, brine shrimp, and even some plant seeds—can survive harsh environments by going into a dormant or resting stage. These stages allow life to essentially pause until conditions improve. But what happens if these lifeforms are exposed to the vacuum, extreme temperatures, and intense radiation of outer space?

The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (IMBP RAS) in Moscow, decided to find out by sending these tiny lifeforms into orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Specifically, they were placed in exposure platforms mounted outside the ISS to directly face the harshness of space.

What the researchers found was amazing: some organisms, particularly spores and cysts, survived the journey. They endured intense solar radiation, the absence of atmospheric pressure, and huge temperature swings. This has implications far beyond Earth. If simple life forms can survive in space, could life travel between planets? Could seeds hitchhike on asteroids and seed other worlds?

This kind of research doesn’t just tell us about alien possibilities—it also helps us understand the resilience of life and how to protect astronauts from long-term exposure to space conditions.

This experiment ran across multiple ISS expeditions, from 18 through 26, and remains one of the most intriguing studies on the survivability of life in the most extreme environments imaginable.

Get certified with over 100 hours of immersive, self-paced learning in astronomy, cosmology, space technology, and climate science through the Agnirva Space Internship Program. Join, complete virtual projects, and earn a digital certificate to showcase your space fluency in interviews, resumes, and beyond.