NASA Is Testing the ISS for , Evidence That Microorganisms , Can Survive in Outer Space.<br />On October 12, NASA conducted a spacewalk to <br />swab the exterior of the International Space <br />Station to check for evidence of microorganisms. .<br />The Byte reports that, if found, the microorganisms <br />would have survived under some of the most <br />extreme conditions possible.<br />The search for evidence that microbes are capable <br />of surviving in outer space could have <br />implications on the search for life outside of Earth. .<br />Back in 2015, astronauts exposed <br />microbes to cryogenic temperatures <br />and extreme radiation levels.<br />According to a 2020 paper, a bacteria known <br />as Deinococcus radiodurans was able to <br />survive for three years in outer space.<br />Another experiment found that even simpler <br />organisms were also capable of surviving in <br />the harsh conditions outside of the ISS.<br />The Byte reports that the results suggest that microbes <br />may be able to allow basic life forms to cover vast <br />distances, potentially jumping from planet to planet.<br />Of course, this does not mean <br />that life actually exists on Mars, Jean-Pierre Paul de Vera, Astrobiologist at BIOMEX, via The Byte.<br />But the search for life is <br />more than ever the strongest <br />driving force for the next <br />generation of missions to Mars, Jean-Pierre Paul de Vera, Astrobiologist at BIOMEX, via The Byte
