Apparently, the Russian's are sending something interesting along with their upcoming mars mission.
A little background:
In 2009, the Russian space agency will launch a sample return mission nicknamed "Phobos-Grunt" to the Martian moon Phobos. According to plans, the
spacecraft will land on Phobos, collect dirt and rocks from its surface, and then head back home. As it swoops by Earth in 2012, the spacecraft will
release a capsule containing all the samples gathered on Phobos, to land on Earth.
Going along for the ride will be several microbes picked for their hardiness.
Attached to the capsule for the entire 34 months of the journey will be a small, flat cylinder containing a collection of microbes carefully selected
and sealed before launch. In its flight, the cylinder will be, in effect, a simulated space rock, subject to the same extreme conditions as a Martian
meteoroid traveling to Earth. It is The Planetary Society's LIFE experiment.
The quoted article highlights that the experiment could prove that cross-contamination between bodies in space is possible.
What the article doesn't mention, and what I find most interesting, are the implications for the theory that life originated on Earth as a hitchhiker
on a crashing comet or meteor.
Quoted Article
Mission wiki
Space.com Article
Mod Note: Quote Reference-Please Review This Link.
[edit on Wed Jan 7 2009 by Jbird]
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