Applied Kinesiology - How it's Done. Nature - Tardigrades: Water bears in space. 17 May 2011Last updated at 02:46 By Emma Brennand Reporter, BBC Nature Tardigrades are microscopic animals commonly known as water bears In 2007, a little known creature called a tardigrade became the first animal to survive exposure to space.
It prevailed over sub-zero temperatures, unrelenting solar winds and an oxygen-deprived space vacuum. On Monday, this microscopic cosmonaut has once again hitched a ride into space on the Nasa shuttle Endeavour. Its mission: to help scientists understand more about how this so-called "hardiest animal on Earth" can survive for short periods off it. Time_Clock.gif (689×653)