From ice to space, and beyond? Antarctica's microorganisms to be tested in space

Chilean researchers will send a rare mission to space carrying samples of microorganisms from Antarctica and Chile to test their resistance to oxygen-free conditions, zero gravity, high radiation and extreme temperatures, lead scientist Dr. Jenny Blamey said on Monday (April 20).

Blamey leads the POLARIS (Polar Organisms Launched for Astrobiology Research) mission, which aims to test extremophile microorganisms outside the International Space Station.

The expedition includes three extremophile bacteria and three extremophile archaea, the latter being considered among the most primitive organisms, according to Blamey.

All the samples were collected from Chilean extreme environments, such as the Atacama Desert, and from Antarctica, the University of Chile said in a statement.

They have been isolated in Chile and will be sent into Earth orbit, where they will endure extreme temperatures ranging from -45 to 60 degrees Celsius, according to the statement, for between six and eight months.

The mission is scheduled for launch on May 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

-Rodrigo Gutierrez, Anna Portella/Reuters