The samples will be analyzed back on Earth.
When everything gets to the station, these microbiomesbecome part of the space station microbiome.
Some of these organisms survive, adapt, and even reproduce.
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy performing an ISS spacewalk in 2020.© NASA
The unique environmental pressures eventrigger microbial mutations that dont exist on Earth, which is another story entirely.
As a consequence, astronautsfrequentlyswab the ISS interior to monitor its unique microbiome.
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