"Much like the mythological Greek figure Icarus, Robert McLean’s payload containing a bacteria experiment aboard the 2003 Columbia Shuttle lost its wings when the orbiter broke up upon re-entry into the atmosphere and fell back to earth.

Ironically, McLean, biology professor, said his findings from the recovered payload will be published in May in the Icarus International Journal of Solar System Studies, the official publication for the Division for Planetary Sciences and the American Astronomical Society.

Months after the accident on Feb. 1, 2003, McLean and several scientists were able to access their payload. After running tests to find if the original bacteria he sent had endured the harsh explosion and fall, McLean thought there were no signs of life. But he returned to his lab weeks later to find an unknown bacteria thriving.

The survival of the Microbispora bacteria shines additional evidence on a theory that is thought by some to be science fiction.


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