Background Information

      Our project focuses on studying the upper atmospheric effects on Tardigrades during space to earth entry. There are two main reasons as to why we are conducting the research. However, before I discuss why we are launching Tardigrades to space, you must understand what a Tardigrade is.
      Tardigrades are small organisms that resemble a caterpillar. They are shorter than a millimeter in length and have a hard outer shell similar to that of an insect. However, they are similar to humans in that they also have a digestive tract, a nervous system, and a mouth. The Tardigrade is an extremophile which means it can survive in extreme conditions, including environments that lack oxygen, water and basic nutrients. They are ubiquitous and have been found in every part of the planet. They can live up to 100 years on a single molecule of water through a process known as cryptobiosis. The history of water bears is a mystery, but they have been hypothesized to have come from outer space.

 Figure 1 (above) and Figure 2 (below) show two different Tardigrades.

Figure 3 is an image of Tardigrade eggs.

Figure 4 is a space shuttle transporting microscopic species to space.

      For thousands of years, humans have always asked the question: are we alone? Project Stratobear, may help answer this question. This radical notion that Water bears came from space, if supported with evidence, could prove the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids and comets. This theory is called Panspermia. This brings me to the first purpose of our project; to not only better understand the history of the Tardigrade, but to provide evidence that “aliens” do exist. My team and I will be designing a space probe that will have the capacity to transport Tardigrades through the atmosphere, allowing them to witness the extreme environment of Earth’s atmosphere. If they survive reentry, then maybe they could survive the reentry of another planet. Our stakeholders in this situation include scientists who study the universe. Our results could open a new world of research and could help gravitate researchers’ attention studying the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.

Figure 5 is an excerpt from Make Magazine showing an example of  personal space probes.

Figure 6 shows science's top Astrophysicist, one of our stakeholders.

Figure 7 shows the area of science that our research will affect.

Figure 8 is a graphic representing the different levels of our testing zone.

 

Figure 9 gives a "probe's" perspective in space.

      The second reason we are sending Tardigrades into the atmosphere is for biomedical improvement. In 2001, a medical study was conducted to research the economic impact of wasted prescription medication in a population of adults older than 65 years old. They found that prescription medication was consistently being wasted, so much so that the US national cost for adults older than 65 years could top $1 billion per year. 37% of the medications were repudiated because they had expired and therefore rendered inadequate for consumption. An easy way to help fix this wasteful habit is to increase the shelf life of medication by replicating this biological process of Tardigrades. Tardigrades have a distinct, chemical sugar they release when they dehydrate themselves to hold their structure intact. Sending the Tardigrades into space may give us a profound insight on how they operate. Our stakeholders in this particular situation include pharmaceutical companies and developers in the field of biomimicry.

 Figure 10 is a pharmacist experimenting with chemicals.

 

Figure 11 shows the product (pills) that our research will impact.

 

Figure 12 represents the debt caused by wasted medicine.

 

 Figure 13 is an image of our secondary stakeholders, pharmaceutical doctors.

 

 Figure 14 represents our genre of design.

 

      Our project and design came from many sources on inspiration. I have looked at other products that conduct similar tasks for applications to my own design. For example, when the Apollo 13 module landed in the ocean an automatic raft was inflated. Our probe would benefit from a similar safety feature if the probe landed in water. In addition, radiosondes perform similar tasks to our space probe. They are launched into space using a balloon and record weather data. Looking at how others solve similar tasks is vital to our success.

 Figure 15 is a radiosonde.

 Figure 16 shows a basic data recorder used on radiosondes.

 

 Figure 17  represents basic weather balloon research in progress.

 

 Figure 18 (above) and Figure 19 (below) show the water landing system of Apollo 13.

 

      Little is known about water bears, in fact, we don’t know how they evolved or what species they are related to. Sending them into space will allow us to learn more about them. So our goal is simple, yet difficult to complete: we want to create a system that can transport water bears into the atmosphere, where they can experience a simulated space environment, and then retrieve them. We are going to give the Tardigrades’ indestructibility the ultimate test: reentry through the atmosphere. Besides pure research, the project has potential to permanently alter the pharmaceutical industry. This alteration will come about through exposure to space. This contact with space includes, increased radiation exposure, extreme temperatures variations and increased internal/external pressures.

 

Works Cited

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