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Astragen(s)

Space-adapted lifeforms

Vacuum Flora*
Image from Keith Wigdor and Bing Image Creator
Astragens are nonsentient, generally immobile lifeforms, plant- or fungal-based, neogen, or xenobiont organisms which have evolved or been designed to survive in space at a given orbital zone and radiation level. The term is derived from 'astra' (star) and 'genus' (life form).

Many astragen variants have been utilised by Terragens in the construction and maintenance of space habitats, often forming a significant part of the habitat's infrastructure and life-support system. Examples include Dyson Trees, AmatFruit, GreenBubbles, OxyFruit, HydroFruit, and LifeFruit.
Ygdrassil Tree on Asteroid
Image from Steve Bowers
This Yggdrasil Bush completely covers the asteroid it is growing on, and provides a habitable environment beneath its canopy; a visiting spacecraft can be seen docked to a pylon which extends beyond the outer skin
In general, vacuum-tolerant organisms which are capable of photosynthesis are known as Vacuum Flora. However not all examples of vacuum-tolerant astragens are photosynthetic, and some are derived from fungal templates, or xenobiont fungus-analogs (including some which have evolved naturally in space).

Cosmoamoeboid
Image from Steve Bowers
An extended and a contracted cosmoamoeba gigas lagoonensis exchange silicoid information packets in the Trifid Nebula
Xenobiont astragens also include the various species of space amoeba, which may themselves have been designed or modified by ancient and/or extinct xenosophonts.
 
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Organic/Biotech
 
Development Notes
Text by John B
Initially published on 31 December 2007.

 
 
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