Life on the Moon? Crashed Israeli Spacecraft Cargo May Live On ... Sort Of

Thanks to a Crash Landing, Thousands Now Live on Moon

Scores of one of the most indestructible creatures on Earth have found a new home — on the surface of the moon.

Thanks to the crash of an Israeli spacecraft in April, thousands of microscopic tardigrades, affectionately known as water bears or moss piglets, may now be residing is a deep state of suspended animation on the moon, Phys.org reported.

Water bears are unlike most species found on Earth. They are "extremophiles," which means they can live in extremely hostile conditions and shut down their metabolism for long periods of time. So basically, radiation can't kill them, being deeply frozen for 30 years can't kill them and extreme heat doesn't seem to faze them much. They can even go decades without eating.

The saga began when an Israeli spacecraft called Beresheet crashed onto the moon in April.

Nova Spivak, founder of Arch Mission, said on Tuesday he believes the digital archive survived the crash, however, the fate of the water bears is not fully known.

"We sent enough DNA to regenerate life on Earth, if necessary," Spivack tweeted Tuesday. "Although it would require more advanced biotech than we have to do that. At least our DNA is offsite now. But note that cells and DNA cannot survive or reproduce on the moon. Yet if retrieved they could be useful."

Spivack noted that the tardigrades are "frozen in time" in a deep suspended animation and cannot reproduce on the moon. They would have to be taken to a place where they can be "rehydrated" and "reanimated" to survive, so don't count on a colony of indestructible creatures wondering about the moon waiting for the return of man. It's not likely to happen.