"Kombucha: The Astronauts' Secret to Survival on Moon and Mars"

Scientists are exploring the potential of kombucha cultures, which are multi-species mixtures of bacteria and yeast, for future space missions. These cultures have shown resilience in harsh conditions on Earth and can generate oxygen. If harnessed in space, they could provide astronauts with a sustainable source of oxygen, eliminating the need to generate it from another source. The European Space Agency (ESA) has sent bacteria found in kombucha cultures to the International Space Station to study their ability to repair DNA damaged by cosmic radiation. The hope is that future missions, such as the Artemis program, could test the viability of kombucha cultures for sustaining life on the moon and beyond.