NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover Had 65 Bacteria Living on It Before Launch
- 10 years ago
NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover was reportedly carrying 377 strains of 65 different bacteria species when it was launched. It is unknown if the microbial life forms could make it through the takeoff, the harsh conditions of space, and the alien environment of Mars, but scientists have examined the specimens that they collected from the rover.
NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover was reportedly carrying 377 strains of 65 different bacteria species when it was launched.
It is unknown if the microbial life forms could make it through takeoff, let alone the harsh conditions of space or the alien environment of Mars, but scientists have examined the specimens that they collected from the rover prior to launch.
In the lab researchers exposed the bacteria they found to ultraviolet light and desiccation, along with extremely cold temperatures and varying pH levels.
Nearly 11 percent of the strains could survive more than one of these conditions.
Researchers plan to conduct further studies of the more resilient bacteria strains to find out about the possibility of their survival in extreme environments like Mars.
All NASA spacecrafts have to undergo precise cleaning procedures before being launched to prevent biological contamination, but in the case of Curiosity, one step of the cleaning was skipped for a set of drill bits used by the rover.
The existence of bacteria from Earth that has been carried into space and contaminated the environment of another planet could make it difficult for experts to conclusively identify it as extraterrestrial life or just a false alarm from Earth.
NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover was reportedly carrying 377 strains of 65 different bacteria species when it was launched.
It is unknown if the microbial life forms could make it through takeoff, let alone the harsh conditions of space or the alien environment of Mars, but scientists have examined the specimens that they collected from the rover prior to launch.
In the lab researchers exposed the bacteria they found to ultraviolet light and desiccation, along with extremely cold temperatures and varying pH levels.
Nearly 11 percent of the strains could survive more than one of these conditions.
Researchers plan to conduct further studies of the more resilient bacteria strains to find out about the possibility of their survival in extreme environments like Mars.
All NASA spacecrafts have to undergo precise cleaning procedures before being launched to prevent biological contamination, but in the case of Curiosity, one step of the cleaning was skipped for a set of drill bits used by the rover.
The existence of bacteria from Earth that has been carried into space and contaminated the environment of another planet could make it difficult for experts to conclusively identify it as extraterrestrial life or just a false alarm from Earth.