Using microorganisms to mine meteorites could be an effective way to extract precious metals in space, scientists say. This is the subject of an experiment aboard the International Space Station that examines how such mining in low-gravity environments could support space exploration.
Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Edinburgh have been working on a study based around the results of the experiment, which was carried out by NASA astronaut Michael Scott Hopkins. "This is probably the first experiment of its kind on the International Space Station on meteorite," Rosa Santomartino, Cornell professor and first author for the study, said in a statement to Cornell Chronicle.
