Tardigrades were launched into space again on a SpaceX flight in 2022, along with baby Hawaiian bobtail squid (pictured).
The squid are aboard the International Space Station where they are studied to determine how astronaut health would be affected on long-term flights.
The water bears, meanwhile, are aboard as teachers, in a sense.
University of Wyoming biologist Thomas Boothby, principal investigator, said they could help astronaut health and safety.
“We want to see what ‘tricks’ they use to survive when they arrive in space, and, over time, what tricks their offspring use,” he said.
“Are they the same or do they change across generations? We just don’t know what to expect.”
