Abstract
Growth, survival and metabolic activity of microorganisms are influenced by numerous abiotic environmental factors. Microorganisms, especially when living in association, show an enormous resistance and great capacity for adapting to extreme levels of these abiotic factors. No single terrestrial environment exists that is not inhabited by microorganisms. In contrast, the conditions outside our planet would be very hostile for all life forms known so far, owing to a vacuum, severely desiccating conditions, intense radiation and extreme temperatures (Nicholson et al., 2005). The survival of organisms in the conditions of space has generated much interest for two reasons: first, it is a good way to test the resistance of terrestrial life forms to highly stressful conditions, and second, it also tests the possibility of present, past or future life beyond the confines of the Earth. Two kinds of experiments can be designed to examine the survival of organisms exposed to space conditions: (a) ground experiments simulating the conditions of space or (b) actual space flight experiments. Although costly and much more difficult to design and execute, only space flight experiments can assess the synergetic effects of a lack of gravity and high cosmic radiation doses (Leys et al., 2004).
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank INTA and ESA for the logistic and technical support, the staff of the microscopy facility of the Centro de Ciencias Medioambientales for their technical assistance, and Ana Burton for revising the document for language. This study was supported by grants CGL2006-04658 and CTM2009-1238 C04 of the Education Spanish Ministry.
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De Los Ríos, A., Ascaso, C., Wierzchos, J., Sancho, L.G. (2010). Space Flight Effects on Lichen Ultrastructure and Physiology. In: Seckbach, J., Grube, M. (eds) Symbioses and Stress. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 17. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9449-0_30
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