Astronaut Quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson
“When provoked, the itsy-bitsy invertebrates known as tardigrades can suspend their metabolism. In that state, they can survive temperatures of... 73 K for days on end, making them hardy enough to endure being stranded on Neptune. So the next time you need space travelers with the right stuff, you might want to choose yeast and tardigrades, and leave your astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts at home.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Cosmos Episode 5, 2014
Tardigrades can halt metabolism, survive extreme cold, suggesting microbes could endure space travel better than humans.
In simple terms: Microbes survive extreme conditions; humans may not.
Key Takeaway
Consider using resilient organisms for space missions.
Themes
science
space exploration
biology
resilience
Mood
curious
inquisitive
Type
scientific
informative
When to use this quote
- spacecraft design
- planetary protection
- research on microbial endurance
Key Concepts
extremophiles
metabolic suspension
astrobiology
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the risks of sending microbes to other planets?
- How can we balance human and microbial roles in exploration?
A Different Perspective
Human physiology limits space travel; ethical concerns about using organisms.
![“They [scientists of centuries past] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations, however, God gets hardly a mention.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b0/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_century_they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-o_12921.jpg)
