Water Bears FTW

Itty Bitty Critter Committee to join human astronauts on Shuttle Endeavour: "

Oh, sure, human astronauts will be on board Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission set to launch Monday. But so will five microscopic life forms: Water Bears, also known as Tardigrades (shown above); the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans and Bacillus subtilis; and the archaea Haloarcula marismortui and Pyrococcus furiosus. More about 'Shuttle LIFE' here, via the Planetary Society.

Tardigrades image via Google Knol.

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