Axiom-4 Mission: Shubhanshu Shukla will do experiments on THESE animals that survived after dinosaurs became extinct

The sky is no more the limit. Riding on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that was put on rocket Falcon-9, Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has reached space. The IAF fighter pilot will carry out some of the most significant and epoch-making experiments at the ISS. One of the most important experiments of the Axiom 4 mission may unravel the mystery of surviving for the longest time in the most challenging circumstances on Earth. He will study tiny microorganisms, called Tardigrades, also known as water bears. The ISRO chose the fighter jet pilot as its prime astronaut for the historic flight. 

Tardigrades predate dinosaurs 

Also known as "moss piglets", the eight-legged segmented micro-animal has been living on Earth for more than 50 crore years. Marked as one of the most resilient animals ever known, it has survived extreme conditions like exposure to extreme temperatures, extreme pressures, both high and low, air deprivation, radiation, dehydration, and starvation. Most of the other animals can die because of any of the above reasons, but Tardigrades have survived. Its resilience can be gauged by the fact that it has witnessed the extinction of dinosaurs and many other big, mighty and powerful animals. 

One of the interesting facts is that these tiny animals live in diverse regions of Earth's biosphere, they can be found on mountaintops, in the deep sea, in tropical rainforests, and in the frozen Antarctic. Belonging to the phylum Tardigrada, there are as many as 1500 species of this tiny animal. Usually measuring 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long when fully grown, Tardigradas are short and plump, with four pairs of legs, each ending in claws. As they are prevalent in mosses and lichens lying in the water, they are called "moss piglets". 

Tardigrades absorb ultraviolet radiation

Subahanshu Shukla and his team of astronauts will carry out experiments on Tardigrades to uncover the molecular mechanisms behind these organisms' resilience. The scientists at the Indian Institute of Science have been studying Tardigrades for more than five years. While studying these animals, they found that when exposed to harmful ultraviolet radiation, these creatures can absorb the radiation and emit harmless blue fluorescence.