The Tardigrades and the Ark Mission

Tardigrades are microscopic eight-legged creatures that were first seen by an 18th century German biologist. They're puffy and have tiny claws and are weirdly cute, which is unusual. When times are tough, like a sudden drop in temperature, they shed 95% of the water in their fat little bodies to go into a state called cryptobiosis. In this state, they're almost impossible to kill.