Unlike previous studies focusing on microbes on the International Space Station, this experiment tested bacteria under the full conditions of a rocket flight from launch to landing, providing a more realistic assessment of microbial durability in space.

This study is the first to examine bacterial responses to the actual stresses of spaceflight outside laboratory conditions, offering valuable insights for designing better life support systems for future lunar, Martian, and deep-space missions.

This resilience suggests that beneficial microbes can be safely transported on long space missions, helping to maintain astronaut microbiomes crucial for digestion, immunity, and overall health.

The findings enhance understanding of microbial endurance in space, informing future strategies for human health and environmental sustainability on long-duration missions, and may also support astrobiology by expanding knowledge of microbial survival in extreme environments.

Conducted by researchers at RMIT University in Australia with international collaboration, this represents the first real-world test of bacteria under actual launch and spaceflight conditions, surpassing previous lab simulations.

Research by RMIT University has shown that spores of Bacillus subtilis, a microbe essential for human health, can survive the extreme conditions of spaceflight, including launch, microgravity, and reentry.

These spores endured accelerations up to 13 g, six minutes of weightlessness at about 162 miles altitude, and decelerations reaching 30 g during descent, all without structural damage and with normal growth after recovery.

Resilient microbes like Bacillus subtilis could be used to develop improved life support systems for astronauts and have potential applications in medicine and biotechnology on Earth, such as developing new antibiotics.