Moss survived 283 days on the outside of the International Space Station

Tardigrades shocked scientists in 2008 by surviving 10 days in low Earth orbit. A simple plant has outdone the hardy water bears. Moss attached to the outside of the ISS survived in space for nine months, and may be capable of much longer periods.

A study published in the Cell Press journal iScience found that Physcomitrium patens, commonly known as spre…