Recently, the world’s first ever space-bound Tesla complete with his spacesuit passenger reached Mars. But, just what did we send to space?
Elon Musk’s Tesla in space with its spacesuit passenger. Image from Wikimedia Commons
On board with our dummy passenger, we may have just sent a bunch of organisms to Mars. However, to what extent should we care?
Scientists have different opinions.
Researchers worry that microorganisms from earth may proliferate on Mars. Based on evidence of bacterial resistance to extreme conditions, they aren’t wrong. Dr. Osman and his team concluded that some bacteria or bacterial spores can survive under stimulated atmospheric and radiation conditions of Mars. The team stated that the spores likely stayed dormant, however, with high UV and lack of water. In contrast, they found that non-spore forming bacteria can live for many years if they can find shielding from UV within uneven soil, or around spacecrafts. This means that we may introduce bacteria to Mars, thereby possibly eliminating any native micro lifeforms through natural selection.
A contrary argument, however, claims that we are impeding ourselves from exploring space with very strict regulations against interplanetary contamination. These scientists believe that if meteorites from Earth that crashed on Mars or space missions before planetary protection act couldn’t contaminate the planet, the modern bacteria won’t be able to either. So far, we haven’t seen any solid signs of ancient or modern life on Mars, which means we probably haven’t introduced any terrestrial life yet. In contrast, the argument states that if we somehow did, the planet is already contaminated. Then, should we really spend most of our space funding on sterilization, or prohibit some programs as a precaution?
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory being prepared for launch in the clean room to keep the spacecraft germ free. Photo by NASA/JPL
Let’s go back to the Tesla orbiting Mars. The debate takes a whole new level with this SpaceX mission. Why? Because the car and its dummy passenger foreshadows what’s to come. By 2024, SpaceX is planning to send people on Mars. If the company achieves this goal, the proliferation of species will no longer be a question. Nobody sends people on a suicide mission with such publicity; the company will ensure human survival. What else will definitely survive? Bacteria!
Elon Musk’s speech about future plans for Mars missions and beyond. Video by CNET on Youtube.
The same question applies. Should we care that we are introducing different species to Mars? Or instead, should we focus on how to survive in different planets? Surely, we can learn from planets a lot more if we can figure out a way to remain there.
If you ask me, it’s a tough choice. What’s the opportunity cost here? What if we are letting some bacteria die that may give us insight on many genetic processes? But what if there isn’t any, yet our fear is not letting us investigate any further?
Maybe let’s just let the space agencies decide for this one.
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