If you answered a "Water Bear," CONGRATULATIONS!

You've just identified one of the five organisms in Shuttle LIFE, a new experiment that flew aboard the last flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

But to continue our experiment with our microscopic passengers, we still need your help!

The Planetary Society developed the two-phase LIFE – Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment – to investigate the transpermia hypothesis, the idea that a living organism might survive a journey through space to Earth inside a meteorite.

Organic molecules have already been found in meteorites, so is it possible for a living organism to make the trip from somewhere like Mars?

This fall, the LIFE module will fly aboard Russia’s Phobos Sample Return mission. Before we flew our microbes to Phobos, we had an exciting new opportunity for our experiment!

We just had the chance to test the survivability of our hardy organisms during space travel by flying LIFE on Space Shuttle flight STS-134,which returned on June 1, 2011. The very last flight of Shuttle Endeavour!

Now to continue testing our microscopic passengers from Shuttle Endeavour and to fly them to Phobos, we need your help!

Over 14 days, Shuttle LIFE tested the effects of low-Earth orbit spaceflight on five diverse species of microorganisms packed in tiny, heat-sealed, Delrin plastic sample tubes. Once the microbes have been tested -- back here on Earth -- they will also provide a baseline comparison and a “dress rehearsal” for our upcoming Phobos LIFE experiment that will go to Mars's moon Phobos and back.

The eight-legged water bears made the trip aboard Shuttle LIFE with four other organisms.

We need your participation to continue our experiment and fly our micro-passengers to Phobos. Please join our LIFE team today!

Let’s change the world!

Executive Director, Planetary Society

Your support is helping us answer deep questions...thank you.