Scientists to test resilience of ‘black mould’ on space voyage

‘We may be able to reproduce the effect and that could be really critical for travel in deep space’

THE fungus is a tough little life form. Commonly known as “black mould”, it has been found living contentedly on the International Space Station (ISS), apparently oblivious to the lack of gravity, or rigours of space radiation.

Its spores can survive doses of radiation 200 times higher than those that would kill a human, and now it is being blasted around the Moon to see how it fares in deep space.

Scientists are taking advantage of Nasa’s Artemis test flight to send up experiments that could improve their understanding of how some living organisms thrive in extreme conditions.

The results will help to create spaceproof crops, which humans will need if they are to inhabit the Moon and Mars.

It will also provide clues on how their natural defence mechanism can be harnessed to protect astronauts from radiation. Scientists at Nasa believe that Aspergillus niger is protected from radiation by high levels of melanin – the chemical in the body that produces hair, eye and skin pigmentation. To find out, researchers are sending up four different versions of the fungus.

One strain is normal, one has been genetically engineered to remove its melanin, and two others have been tweaked to knock out DNA repair centres. The samples will be launched in Nasa’s Orion crew module and sent into space where they will travel around the Moon for three weeks before splashing down in the Pacific.

Ye Zhang, of Nasa’s SMD Biological and Physical Sciences biological experiment, said: “The fungi experiment is focused on DNA damage, and Aspergillus niger has been chosen because it has been found on the ISS and other contaminated areas, so it seems to be very resistant to radiation.

“In deep space, the dose of space radiation isn’t that high, but it is constant, and that does severe damage to the cells, and this is what astronauts will be subjected to,” he explained. “Aspergillus niger seems to be able to adapt to this environment, and if we can find out how it is doing it, we may be able to reproduce the effect in some kind of pharmaceutical, and that could be really critical for travel in deep space.”

The team are also sending plant seeds up and will attempt to grow them back on Earth after, to see the effect of zerogravity and radiation on crops.