PLANKTON found in space: Sea creatures are discovered living on the exterior of the ISS

PLANKTON found in space: Sea creatures are discovered living on the exterior of the ISS

Traces of plankton and other microorganisms have been found living on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS), according to Russian space officials.

They claim the plankton were not carried there at launch – but are thought to have been blown there by air currents on Earth.

Incredibly, the tiny organisms were found to be able to survive in the vacuum of space despite the freezing temperatures, lack of oxygen and cosmic radiation.

The article continues:

The discovery was made during a routine spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts Olek Artemyev and Alexander Skvortsov, who were launching nanosatellites into space.

They used wipes to polish the surface of windows - also known as illuminators - on the Russian segment of the ISS and later found the presence of plankton and other microorganisms using ‘high-precision equipment’.

Funny how they got off this rock too...and perhaps even before us.

In the end, I think we will eventually find that life in the universe is the rule, not the exception.

Wow awesome find!..what do you think there eating in space?

Wow winds from Earth can blow into space??

omg were breathing in plankton !

a reply to: LDragonFire

I guess each other....or if they are phytoplankton, then they produce their own food.

What do plankton eat?
Lower level plankton like phytoplankton rely on the sun for photosynthesis. Upper level plankton like zooplankton feed on the phytoplankton.

Link.

S&F loam... Nice find!

Wouldn't they have to eat at some point?? I would be really interested to see what they feed on all the way up there. Children's screams from nightmares here on earth? I guess they are eating the other microorganisms though.

Thanks for the share!! I for one, was not aware that "stuff" could just live out in the open up there.

This is interesting news if verified S and F

This is interesting news if verified S and F

a reply to: loam

Congrats Loam, I believe you get the honor of the very first post that shows confirmation of life in outer space. Granted, it's not extraterrestrial but it ain't human.

a reply to: loam

Excellent news-Add Plankton to the list-Tardigrades,certain Lichen,and now Plankton are species of Earth life we know can survive out of our atmosphere.
We could adapt future humans for long term space travel using this info as a starting point.

From the little creatures we learn massive things.

a reply to: Crakeur

originally posted by: Crakeur
Congrats Loam, I believe you get the honor of the very first post that shows confirmation of life in outer space. Granted, it's not extraterrestrial but it ain't human.

Most excellent.

Is there a cash prize?

a reply to: Crakeur

They claim the plankton were not carried there at launch – but are thought to have been blown there by air currents on Earth.

ROTFLMAO...what next from these scientists???

Maybe they dont need to eat if they're frozen?
Could this be proof that life spreads through the universe? How far might it have gotten?

a reply to: loam

not cash, exactly, but some really good karma. I believe you can trade your karma in for charisma points which, in turn, can be used to buy good will.

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Maybe they dont need to eat if they're frozen?
Could this be proof that life spreads through the universe? How far might it have gotten?

Phytoplankton have been here way longer than we have

a reply to: loam

I have to say from dozens of threads and posts where I took the abuse that I would be vindicated

A big I told you so!

Does this find add any more feasibility to the theory of panspermia?

A very interesting find!

The news agency reported that Mr. Solovyev was uncertain “how these microscopic particles could have appeared on the surface of the space station,” adding that the organisms were not typical for Baikonur in Kazakhstan, from where the space station lifted off.

To put on my not-so-scientific hat, how do we know these microscopic particles came from earth at all? It's stated that we/they are uncertain how they got on the surface of the space station. Sure, they exist on earth so that is the likely origin...but, what if?

I say this in the mind-set of how life may have been 'seeded' on earth in the first place.

a reply to: SLAYER69

I think it does.

I have always believed that even within our own solar system we will find life nearly everywhere we truly look.

a reply to: Crakeur

I gladly accept. Thank you.

That's a great find O.P.

'Plankton in space' has a kind of Muppets feel to it all. But how does life live in space, when it is a vacuum? We assumed it couldn't, because we were told it couldn't. How many people from the science world have travelled into space? An extremely small percentage, so small it's got to be less than 0.10 percent. Yet we trust the science world completely when it comes to space.

Maybe, it could be because people will decide to build their own space ships and get the hell off of this war torn planet.

Just think how we've polluted every planet we've ever landed on.