NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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  1. Question

    Can microorganisms such as bacteria, molds and yeasts survive on the surface of the moon?

    Survive, perhaps, but grow, no. The surface of the Moon is extremely inhospitable, with no air or water and with extremes of temperature and UV bombardment from the Sun. Some life forms have been shown to survive such space exposure for up to a few years from experiments in Earth orbit, but they cannot grow or metabolize or reproduce under such conditions. The same is probably true for the lunar surface. David Morrison
    NAI Senior Scientist

    June 1, 2007