NASA unveils new rules to protect the moon and Mars from Earth germs

[Admin]

NASA has unveiled new policies to protect the moon and Mars (and Earth) from contamination as human spaceflight advances.

NASA unveils new rules to protect the moon and Mars from Earth germs : Read more

 

[cadcoke5]

There are rocks found on eather, that very much seem to have come from Mars. If rocks, that have been ejected from a planet by a meterior, can reach other planets, then life can also be transferred along with the rocks. Multiple types of microbes have been shown to survive exposure to space, and certainly being inside of a grain of sand, or small pebble is additional protection.

I suspect that there is plenty of opportunity for any life to be transferred back and forth between planets.

 

[FN Moeller]

This is one of those unnecessary thinks we do because some fool with poor instincts dreams it up. We share life with other planets and its a two way street. Plus you couldn't contaminate the moon if you tried. Nothing would do anything but lay dormant. If we could study enough samples from the moon we find that there are already Mars and Earth rocks there complete with dormant life.

 

[egribble]

Personally I think planetary protection is nonsense and the less said about it the better. This is because an unknowing public will become paranoid, in the same way they are about nuclear energy. The media will sensationalize the issue which will completely hinder any real progress being made.

 

[rocketman6799]

Personally I think planetary protection is nonsense and the less said about it the better. This is because an unknowing public will become paranoid, in the same way they are about nuclear energy. The media will sensationalize the issue which will completely hinder any real progress being made.

It already happened in the 1958 movie "The Blob".

"A mysterious creature from another planet, resembling a giant blob of jelly, lands on earth. The people of a nearby small town refuse to listen to some teenagers who have witnessed the blob's destructive power. In the meantime, the blob just keeps on getting bigger. "