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My main experiment is bolted onto the outside of the Space Station where microbes are exposed to the many harsh environmental factors of space. I’m mainly focussing on how they can survive the super high-radiation of space, which is a pretty tough thing to do.

This is cool because it can tell us about how microbes could survive in high-radiation environments like the surface of Mars and maybe even on comets/asteroids. It can also tell us something about where the upper physical limits of life in the universe actually lie. So if we ever start colonising other planets, we can use these radiation-resistant microbes to help produce our air and recycle our waste- not bad for bugs!

Firstly, coffee, obviously.

Because my experiments are still in space, I’m working on some ground controls. This involves exposing bacteria to various kinds of radiation you’d also find in space (x-rays, UV-rays) under different conditions to see what happens to them (basically, how fast they die). This will help me understand what has happened to the space station bacteria when I start analysing them back here on earth.

Depending on circumstances, I’d organise a visit to the 1.1km deep Labs at Boulby. If a visit isn’t possible, I’d establish a ‘remote’ engagement activity, possibly involving instruments from the European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover!