A Russian cosmonaut has said that the bacteria recently found on the International Space Station and brought back to earth, is extra-terrestrial. The bacteria did not originate from Earth, however, raising more questions.
Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov says he found bacteria clinging to the external surface of the International Space Station that didn�t come from the surface of Earth. The bacteria was swabbed from the exterior of the ISS years ago, but begs the question, just how did it get there?
�And now it turns out that somehow these swabs reveal bacteria that were absent during the launch of the ISS module,� Shkaplerov told the Russian news agency Tass. �That is, they have come from outer space and settled along the external surface. They are being studied so far and it seems that they pose no danger.� In particular, the Russians took probes from places where the accumulation of fuel waste was discharged during the engines� operation or at places where the station�s surface is more obscure. After that, the samples were sent back to Earth.
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