Mars: Fears Curiosity Will Contaminate Planet

Why are we creating such a hue and cry over contamination of Mars by Curiosity? It has already been contaminated by:

Mars 2
Mars 3
Mars 6
Viking 1
Viking 2
Mars Pathfinder
Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2
Spirit
Opportunity
Phoenix Mars Lander

A couple were destroyed due to malfunctions but crashed to the surface of Mars. The list does not currently include smaller objects such as springs, fragments, parachutes, heat shields and so on.

All this stuff would have already contaminated Mars by now! So why the fuss over contamination by Curiosity alone?

thats a good question. Why would NASA even mention this. This is why this thread exists though? is it not?

Cosmic radiation? Really? Humans can survive it for a couple of days. The apollo vehicles were basically not shielded, and the radiation did have long term health effects on the astronauts, but they lived. Also, theres a fungus that can live in nuclear reactors. Theres also been bacteria found in low earth orbit...

And cosmic radiation on the spacecraft? It doesnt work like that. You arent radioactive after an xray either. And what about the freakin plutonium?

And the mojave desert in nevada isnt that color. Arizona maybe.

Am I the only one who just really doesn't care? If we manage to accidentally put microbes on Mars that can actually survive in that place we can still learn much from it. Also, as traffic to Mars increases, and it will, this would happen eventually.

In my humble opinion, screw this nascent, pointless, headache inducing space environmentalism.

Life is life, who cares if it came from Earth and is now on Mars?

The only reason this is even a big deal is that they may not be able to confirm life on mars if they detect it due to contamination....Aside from that I don't see what the big f*cking deal is. It's not like bacteria are going to kill the planet. Who knows? Maybe that's how life started on Earth.

Originally posted by GrimReaper86
Who knows? Maybe that's how life started on Earth.

Exactly. Look at it like our spacecraft are agents of panspermia.

Anyways, the only environment new bacteria could potentially muck up would be the methane producing bacteria that live close to the equator and become active when the summer heat makes a thin layer of liquid water in the permafrost. I have no idea what introduced microbes would do to that very limited ecosystem, but I predict it would have much less impact than putting cats on an island of dodos, or something like that.

Originally posted by ragsntatters
Either that or they discovered microbial life and can now discount is as contaminants. Just another train of thought

Yeah, i agree and we will have to wait until another rover type vehicle goes there....

To find free from 'contaminate' possible life......

Originally posted by Mkoll

Originally posted by GrimReaper86
Who knows? Maybe that's how life started on Earth.

Exactly. Look at it like our spacecraft are agents of panspermia.

Anyways, the only environment new bacteria could potentially muck up would be the methane producing bacteria that live close to the equator and become active when the summer heat makes a thin layer of liquid water in the permafrost. I have no idea what introduced microbes would do to that very limited ecosystem, but I predict it would have much less impact than putting cats on an island of dodos, or something like that.

edit on 11-9-2012 by Mkoll because: (no reason given)

Maybe thats where we came from?

reply to post by welshreduk

Reads like a great intro to a typical sci-fi horror movie.

Originally posted by w810i
reply to post by GhostLancer

 

What?! Where exactly did you hear this from? I know this forum is all about conspiracy but man adjust the tinfoil in your hat.

So, what you are saying is that if someone talks about something that you consider too far out of the mental box you have put yourself in, that that person must be wearing an aluminum hat? If that is the case, then you are at the wrong website because the very nature of ATS is to think outside the box and discuss topics that many consider fringe. Personally, I didn't say I believed that Curiosity had nukes or self-destruct capability. Some people were just having an open discussion about the possibilities, and about rumors they had heard from NASA "insiders" and email correspondence. Truth is often stranger than fiction. So maybe it is you who needs to adjust your hat because it is apparently put on too tightly.

Did nobody see this movie?
www.imdb.com...

A sneeze from a Russian worker creates an ecology on Mars.

Originally posted by GhostLancer
reply to post by welshreduk

 

Curiosity is nuclear-powered. Some people have speculated that there is more than just a miniature nuclear power source / reactor(?) with its package of "goodies." Some have speculated that Curiosity has a SELF DESTRUCT capability, that it is either capable of a nuclear explosion and/or has the ability to deploy at least two tactical nuclear bombs. Why?

because the words "plutonium or "nuclear" are associated with it.... that's "why."

Think this deserves debate or even wild speculation?

and "some people" are glue sniffers living in mom's basement... with a third grade level science education...
I've gotta' turn in my user id and get off here for good.....

Doh! Now we are Gods. Yaaaay!

reply to post by GhostLancer


Technically that's way beyond fringe. Unsavory creatures in the tunnels in Mars?? Now lets assume for a moment there are a bunch of sub service dwelling creatures, why exactly would they feel the need to nuke them?? Unless you're hinting that is more to them then just that.

Originally posted by welshreduk
Could not find anything using search so just bringing this to the attention of ATS...

Apparently procedures have not been followed and Curiosity may contaminate the red planet!!!

I think if this is true it's unforgivable.

I can just see them saying we found life but bad news... We put it there, good cover story if they needed one.

I just have a hard time believing they could make this sort of "mistake".

Mars: Fears Curiosity Will Contaminate Planet

Hey if there's nothing up there, Who cares? Maybe this will be the start of life on Mars. And a billion years from now everyone will be asking,"Where did life on Mars come from?", and some people will say,"The Earth." And some people will say, "You're nuts.".

Contaminate. That's what we do. And we are very good at it. Comes natural. I suppose we have contaminated the moon to.

I know we messed up the Great Lakes.

Originally posted by xZodiacx
I guarantee they knew exactly what they were doing. NASA is trying to play God. Watch Mars turn into a luscious earth-like planet. Then earthlings would take credit for it and reap its natural resources...not really sure how long it would take for a process like this to happen, but its a thought.

I really like this thought. Did not think of this one but it sounds good. Some time in the future Mars has plant life etc, and Nasa are like " well it was an accident, but lets use it" hmm, food for thought

Now this is the kind of stuff I find fascinating. While I don't think anyone at NASA is worried about mean cave creatures, the possibilities of various theories of contamination and, whether intentional or not, that contamination could lead to life forms on Mars. I know it's all a bit science fiction in nature, but it sure beats the hell out of CGI airplanes, and flat earth junk!

Many wonderful thoughts on this already. Our mars missions becoming the Genesis of a new living world?

Originally posted by 46ACE

Originally posted by GhostLancer
reply to post by welshreduk

 

Curiosity is nuclear-powered. Some people have speculated that there is more than just a miniature nuclear power source / reactor(?) with its package of "goodies." Some have speculated that Curiosity has a SELF DESTRUCT capability, that it is either capable of a nuclear explosion and/or has the ability to deploy at least two tactical nuclear bombs. Why?

because the words "plutonium or "nuclear" are associated with it.... that's "why."

Think this deserves debate or even wild speculation?

and "some people" are glue sniffers living in mom's basement... with a third grade level science education...
I've gotta' turn in my user id and get off here for good.....

edit on 11-9-2012 by 46ACE because: (no reason given)

edit on 11-9-2012 by 46ACE because: (no reason given)

It's the size of a small car, it weighs barely a ton...... so how the friggin' hell would it have two tactical nuclear devices on board!!?? These people need to get a brain, instead of sharing one brain cell between them!!! SHEESH!!!

Originally posted by Mkoll
-- SNIPPED --

Life is life, who cares if it came from Earth and is now on Mars?

edit on 11-9-2012 by Mkoll because: (no reason given)

Uuuhm... maybe in a some billion years, when we are long gone and forgotten, these microbes may have evolved into intelligent beings. Those martians may then have their own ATS, filled to the brim with "experts" on religion, evolution and a healthy dose of "conspiracy nuts." They´ll be throwing fits all day long about the lunatics on the other side of the debate without any argumentation at all. Maybe we should leave a stone tablet on Mars explaining this slip up to spare them that! It´s the least we can do now!

Originally posted by w810i
reply to post by GhostLancer

 

Technically that's way beyond fringe. Unsavory creatures in the tunnels in Mars?? Now lets assume for a moment there are a bunch of sub service dwelling creatures, why exactly would they feel the need to nuke them?? Unless you're hinting that is more to them then just that.

That's is the question. Why would anyone want to nuke "unsavory" creatures living in the caverns of Mars? I personally don't have access to that kind of NASA information. Most of us on ATS probably don't. It does create a bridge to speculation as to the "why" part of that question though. Maybe there are underground bases from which to stage actions/events that could affect us or who knows what/who else. I do have to add that giving "fringe" a definition and saying something is technically beyond it. Who is to say what is fringe? Truth is stranger than fiction in many cases.

Again, I'm not stating that this is likely or that I believe some of the talk going around the campus. I was just passing on POSSIBILITIES. If I had the equipment and software, I would have any telescopes I owned aimed at Mars and digitally recording the images, watching for some light anomalies in the Curiosity region.