The Tardigrades That Crashed on the Moon
When a small Israeli lander crashed on the Moon, it was carrying thousands of dried-out tardigrades, animals famous for surviving almost anything.
What was reported
Beresheet, built by the Israeli non-profit SpaceIL, was the first privately funded attempt to land on the Moon. On 11 April 2019 an engine problem during its descent sent it into the Sea of Serenity, and it broke apart on impact.
On board was a small archive of human knowledge, and, sealed into it, dehydrated tardigrades: tiny 'water bears' that can survive freezing, boiling, radiation and the vacuum of space by drying out and shutting down. News that there might be animals on the Moon went around the world.
Explanations offered
Even if any survived the crash, tardigrades can't wake up, feed or breed without liquid water, so they couldn't live on the Moon. In 2021 researchers fired tardigrades from a gun to test the impact; they survived up to about 900 metres a second, and the team thought Beresheet's crash was probably too violent for them.
- When
- 11 April 2019
- Where
- Mare Serenitatis, the Moon
- Witnesses
- The Beresheet mission team
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.