Bacteria can survive freefall but premature to say life comes from outer space - scientists
MOSCOW. Oct 4 (Interfax-AVN) - The Bion-M project has proven the ability of certain bacteria species to survive a ride down to the Earth on a space body, acting Deputy Director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medical and Biological Problems Vladimir Sychev said.
"We had to know whether or not bacterial spores could endure the heating in the atmosphere. Results have been achieved. One heat-resistant strain has survived," he said during the Day of Space Science hosted by the Academy Space Research Institute.
The bacterial samples were put inside basalt fragments attached to the exterior of Russia's Bion-M research satellite, he said.
Sychev admitted that one experiment was not sufficient to conclude that life might have been brought to the Earth from outer space.
He said they would soon hold another experiment onboard the Foton research vehicle. "We are developing a new method of attachment of these structures [basalt fragments with bacteria inside] to the rover," Sychev said.
He said the experiment was called Meteorite.
