Yellowstone microbes ride on NASA rocket

Potts hot springs in Yellowstone National Park

By Richard Stenger
CNN.com Writer

(CNN) -- A fleet of hardy microorganism took a trip into space Wednesday, testing a theory that primordial life hitched a ride on a meteorite to Earth eons ago.

Hundreds of millions of microbes took the suborbital flight, including some discovered in hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.

Scientists want to study the effects of intense solar radiation in the vacuum of space on so-called extremophiles, terrestrial life forms capable of living in extreme conditions.

For the first time, NASA and University of Maryland researchers will observe how extreme solar radiation affects living cells without the protection of the atmosphere.

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High-powered ultraviolet rays were to blast the tiny space travelers briefly as they soared to an altitude of up to 200 miles (320 km). Minutes later, they began their descent and landed via parachute.

The flight from the White Sands Missile Range went smoothly and scientists went to pick up the microbes shortly after they touched down, said a spokesperson at the New Mexico launch facility.

Extremophiles typically live in brutal conditions rife with high temperatures, crushing pressures, sulfur, methane or radiation.

The specimens taking part in the experiment can survive punishing temperatures and radiation. Some originated in Potts hot springs, located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

"We thought this strain was a good candidate," said project researcher Frank Robb in a statement. "It was exposed to steamy plumes, alternating with hot, dry conditions."

A second type of microbe flew aboard the rocket as a control in the experiment: Deinococcus radiodurans, radiation-resistant bacteria studied extensively by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The microscopic space pioneers took a figurative back seat on the rocket. The primary flight mission was to study the sun's outer atmosphere, the solar corona.

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University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
White Sands Missile Range
NASA Astrobiology Institute

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