The threat from life on mars

EARTH must take precautions to avoid contamination from lifeforms that must now be presumed to exist on Mars, leading scientists gave warning yesterday.

Potentially deadly microorganisms could be returned to Earth on a probe which is being planned to collect samples from the Martian surface.

The warning comes after a detailed scientific analysis of data sent back by the roving vehicle Opportunity which landed on Mars on January 25.

Jeffrey Kargel of the US Geological Survey said that protection of our own planet from alien forms of life requires the assumption that Martian life exists. �Before proceeding with sample returns or human missions to Mars, we must review measures for planetary biological protection.�

www.timesonline.co.uk...

Sounds sort of reminiscent of the original astronauts, being kept inside for so long in case there were some sort of bacteria or other life that they brought back with them.

Anyway, it's general policy not to just post an article, but to also include your take or spin on it as well.

The threat would seem to make sense but then i remember sombody saying,(different thread) nah, how would an ET contract a disease from terrestrial micro-organisms, so surely the same would apply??

Four years ago I worked on a project at Los Alamos for Nasa to recieve the payload of "Mars Rocks". It is the most advanced "containment" facility on the planet. It has more than triple redundancy. But I pray it is never actually used.

Yea there is a good bit of evidince and there is water on mars in some form. Its not entirely un-feisable that micro-orgnasims could possibly be on mars. It just sounds like a precaution. They havent actully found life on mars. Its just a just incase. After all our definition of life is changing every day. we find bacteria and orgnasims that are like nothing eles and endure the most extream of enviorments. Our idea of life is constantly being rewriten so in a situation like this all precautions should be taken.

wouldn't any microbe that attached itself to a probe be burnt up by the extreme heat involved in re-entry ito the earth's atmosphere?

Lukefj

Originally posted by Lukefj
wouldn't any microbe that attached itself to a probe be burnt up by the extreme heat involved in re-entry ito the earth's atmosphere?

Lukefj

Not neccesarily... Some microbes have survived even the coldness of space for months at a time. That's why the Huygens probe was so extensively decontaminated, so there's a less chance of it contaminating Titan this January if there is alredy some form of life there.

Their is no reason to beleive that these micro-organisms would harm us, they might do, but their are facilities on our planet that could contain these (I hope)...