Microorganisms that survived in space for three years at temperatures between -150 and +150 are being studied, but they do not pose a threat to our planet, according to a Russian cosmonaut.
Live bacteria found on the surface of the International Space Station (ISS) could have extraterrestrial origin, as Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov has suggested in an interview with TASS.
The microorganisms will be studied more deeply on Earth, the pilot has revealed. Shkaplerov will conclude his training on December 17 to leave for the ISS as commander of the next mission of the Soyuz spacecraft.
The cosmonaut, who will make his third trip to the station, explained that the bacteria were found during an experiment consisting of placing special plates on the outer skin of the station.
When the scientists studied the tests of new materials, they found unknown bacteria that could survive for three years under conditions of outer space, in vacuum and temperature ranging from -150º to + 150ºC.
According to Shkaplerov, the bacteria, which are being studied at the moment, "apparently do not entail any danger" for our planet and species.
Also, traces of bacteria that originated on Earth, specifically in Madagascar and the Barents Sea were found on the International Space Station during an experiment in May of this year. The scientists explained that they got there due to the phenomenon of ionosphere elevation, thanks to which substances from the surface of our planet rise to the upper atmospheric layer.
After the discovery, the Russian space agency Roscosmos, like other scientists, has suggested raising the upper limit of the biosphere to 400 kilometers, from the current altitude of 20 kilometers.