一些微小的“乘客”成为了宇航员。它们随阿尔忒弥斯一号绕月飞行，回来后却长大了。据美国宇航局（NASA）任务手册报告，飞行中全部20份真菌样本在返回地球后检查时均显示出生长。样本包括一种黑霉——黑曲霉，以及三种人工培育的突变体。该实验由美国海军研究实验室（NRL）的科学家研制。他们想了解真菌如何应对深空环境。
Some tiny passengers became astronauts. They rode around the Moon on Artemis I, and they came back having grown. According to a NASA Task Book report, all 20 fungus samples on the flight showed growth when they were examined after returning to Earth. The samples included a black mold, Aspergillus niger, and three mutant lab-made versions of it. The experiment was built by scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). They wanted to know how fungi would cope in deep space.
为何科学家将霉菌送上月球太空对生物来说是一种严酷的环境。离开地球的磁场屏障后，辐射成为更大的担忧。辐射可能会损伤DNA，即我们细胞中的指令代码。美国海军研究实验室援引美国宇航局的说法指出，月球任务让宇航员受到的辐射量大约是国际空间站水平的两倍。真菌是理想的测试对象，因为它们具有保护和修复辐射造成的DNA损伤的天然方式。
Why scientists sent mold to the MoonSpace is a harsh environment for living things. Beyond the magnetic shield of Earth, radiation is a greater concern. It can end up damaging DNA, the instruction code in our cells. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, citing NASA, explained that Moon missions expose astronauts to approximately twice as much radiation exposure as levels on the International Space Station. Fungi were a smart test subject because they have natural ways to protect and repair DNA damage from radiation.
这种霉菌也存在于人类环境中，包括航天器。四种菌株，一次棘手的发射该团队携带了一种普通的黑曲霉野生型菌株，还搭载了三种突变体。其中两种，kusA和uvsC，在DNA修复方面存在缺陷。第三种名为fwnA，无法产生黑色素，即有助于给人类皮肤着色的深色色素。科学家还想看看黑色素是否能帮助真菌抵御太空环境的压力。
This mold is also found in human environments, including spacecraft. Four strains, one tricky launchThe team took one regular, or wild-type, strain of Aspergillus niger. They also flew three mutants. Two of them, kusA and uvsC, are defective in DNA repair. The third, called fwnA, is unable to make melanin, the dark pigment that helps color human skin.
由于技术问题，发射日期推迟了几次，因此为11月的发射准备了新样本。飞行时长从40天缩短至25天。因此，每个试管中的培养基从40毫升减少到25毫升。这使得真菌能更快地到达培养基顶部。每种菌株制备了五份样本，总计20份。阿尔忒弥斯一号带回了什么阿尔忒弥斯一号于2022年11月16日发射，12月11日返回地球。
Scientists also want to see if it helps fungi withstand the stress of space. The launch date was postponed a couple of times due to technical problems, so new samples were prepared for the November launch. The duration of the flight was reduced from 40 days to 25 days. So, the growth medium in each test tube was reduced from 40 milliliters to 25 milliliters. This allowed the fungus to reach the top of the growth medium faster. Five samples of each strain were prepared, which totaled 20 samples.
这是一次试飞，因此飞船上没有宇航员。团队于12月20日收到样本。美国国家航空航天局（NASA）报告指出，所有20个样本都在其管内长出了称为菌丝的丝状真菌体，且每个样本顶部都长出了孢子。团队未发现任何污染。他们还在显微镜下检查了每个样本约100个孢子。每个样本中的孢子都萌发了，萌发率为99%至100%。
What Artemis I brought backArtemis I launched November 16, 2022, and returned to Earth on December 11. It was a shakedown flight, so no astronauts were aboard. The team received the samples on December 20. All 20 samples developed thread-like fungal bodies called mycelia through their tubes, and spores developed on the top of each, the NASA report noted. The team didn't see any contamination. They also microscopically examined about 100 spores from each sample.
同一份报告称，根据团队自身的成功标准——包括培养活力、污染情况和生物量等——该实验被评为“优秀”。两种DNA修复突变体的平均生物量增长高于野生型和黑色素突变体。生长组织的干重称为生物量，四个菌株的平均生物量在10至95毫克之间。目前仍不清楚的情况生长是一个好迹象，但不是全部。截至其2023年5月的最后一次更新，报告未提及DNA修复突变体生长更旺盛的原因，也未提及黑色素是否起到了保护真菌的作用。
They germinated in every sample, 99 percent to 100 percent of them. The same report says the team rated the experiment as “Excellent” against its own success criteria, which included things like culture viability, contamination and biomass. The average biomass growth of both the DNA repair mutants was higher than the wild type and the melanin mutant. The dry weight of the grown tissue is called biomass, and the average for the four strains was between 10 and 95 milligrams. What we still don’t knowGrowth is a good sign, but it’s not the whole story.
团队计划在肯尼迪航天中心进行地面对照实验，该实验复制了飞行的时间和温度条件，以研究两组样本的DNA、RNA、蛋白质及其他分子。
As of its last update in May 2023, the report did not mention why the DNA repair mutants grew more or if melanin protected the fungus.
美国海军研究实验室（NRL）首席科学家郑王（Zheng Wang，音译）表示，他希望能找到保护宇航员和设备的新方法。他还表示，真菌在适应过程中可能会产生新分子，其中一些可能具有医疗用途。NASA报告称，如果在太空中证明有效，黑色素未来可用作NASA工作中的防护材料。然而，目前这些仅是期望，而非成果。
The team planned to study DNA, RNA, proteins, and other molecules from both sets in a ground control experiment at Kennedy Space Center that replicated the timing and temperatures of the flight.NRL lead scientist Zheng Wang said he hopes to learn new ways to protect astronauts and equipment. He also said the fungi might make new molecules as they adapt, some of which could have medical uses. If it helps in space, melanin could be used as a protective material in future NASA work, the NASA report says. However, for now, those are just hopes, not results.