This experiment sought to investigate how microgravity affects  the rate at which the bacterium Ideonella Sakaiensis breaks down plastic. Recent findings show that exposing certain bacteria to microgravity causes  genetic mutations that enhance their abilities. The mutated bacteria are  larger, more resilient and reproduce faster than other bacteria. Ideonella Sakaiensis belongs to a bacterial group known to exhibit this behavior. We hypothesized that it would  evolve similarly in space, gaining an improved ability to break down plastic  compared to unmutated bacteria.