 |
The deadly voyage of the Columbia spacecraft. (Photo: Pravda) |
Researchers have discovered that experimental worms placed on the Columbia space shuttle survived the shuttle’s explosion. They symbolize “incredible survival on the edge of death,” a group of NASA experts stated.
The Columbia space shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry into the atmosphere on February 1, 2003. All crew members perished. Debris from the shuttle was scattered over a wide area across several states in the United States.
“Two years after the disaster, several studies and scientific papers were written about these worms – a species of Caenorhabditis elegans – and a thesis is currently being developed on the same subject,” said Academician Sagdeyev.
Five sealed boxes were found among the wreckage. Upon opening the boxes, researchers found that the worms were still alive and crawling in four containers. These worms can be considered space veterans.
“This result is quite astonishing,” Sagdeyev remarked. “Enduring extremely harsh conditions, these worms survived not only in a state of microgravity but also under the influence of gravitational forces thousands of times stronger than standard conditions. The debris from the shuttle fell to the ground from a tremendous height, colliding with other fragments before crashing down. Additionally, the containers with these worms were significantly heated during the shuttle’s self-destruction process. Researchers believe they were not prepared to withstand such conditions. However, most of the worms still lived,” Sagdeyev noted.
“This is the first evidence that a form of life can survive in conditions similar to those experienced when a meteorite passes through the atmosphere,” said Dr. Catherine Conley, the head of a research team. She also suggested that similarly, “spacecraft from Earth could inadvertently disperse biological material onto other celestial bodies.”
“Contrary to familiar beliefs, the origin of a living organism could be much broader,” stated Dr. Boris Pavlov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Medical and Biological Research.
