The International Space Station (ISS) is covered with a layer of extraterrestrial dust - this was the conclusion reached by Roscosmos.
Experiment "Test" has been carried out at the orbital station since 2010. The crew members regularly scraped the material from the outer skin of the ISS and sent it to Earth for analysis. Until recently, research has focused on familiar terrestrial life forms contained in dust - fungi and bacteria. These microorganisms enter space on the so-called tropospheric "lift" and settle on the station's body.
More recently, the samples have revealed elements of clearly extraterrestrial origin - microscopic particles of asteroids and comets. The material, which contains cobalt, iron and nickel in certain proportions, will help scientists study micrometeorites and cometary dust in their natural "habitat" - space. Studies of celestial bodies that have reached the surface of our planet do not give a real picture, since matter melts, sweeping at great speed through the dense layers of the atmosphere.
Roscosmos does not exclude that the dust from the ISS contains signs of extraterrestrial life. The analysis of the particles will show if they contain alien biomaterial.
Collecting samples from the outside of the station is a laborious process. Astronauts and astronauts took dust samples with cotton swabs and sent the material back to Earth in sealed containers. In total, the ISS crew sent 19 containers with the substance for analysis.
The station regularly comes under fire from meteor showers. In total, the ISS is "irrigated" by 30 stellar "showers". Depending on the flow intensity, the station can be bombarded by up to several thousand cosmic particles per day.