Why have scientists sent moss into space?

Researchers were surprised to find that moss spores germinated after nine months hanging out on the outside of the International Space Station. Ellie and Laura dive into their research and go beyond it to look at why some things survive in space, the benefits of doing this sort of research and what it might mean for a more resilient ecosystem here on Earth.
Fact check:

News about the space moss
More news
The original research article on the space moss
The basics about radiation in space
Tardigrades can survive some types of UV radiation
How tardigrades have a genetic response to repair…