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Question of the Week / Re: QotW - 12.07.15 - Could we Introduce Life onto Mars?
« on: 22/07/2012 08:15:17 »
We've already started the process. In 1971, Mariner 9 was launched to orbit Mars. Because it was an orbiter, NASA did not sterilise it - maybe they were hoping that a manned mission would be able to retrieve it before it contaminated Mars.
That isn't going to happen, and Mariner 9 is expected to deorbit sometime in 2022, starting the very slow process of introducing Terran life to Mars. IF any organisms survive the crash, they could start to spread, helped by the Martian dust storms, and very gradually adapting to the more favourable environments that they encounter.
Any searches for Martian life after that will have to be designed to tell the difference between native organisms and introduced ones.
There's only 10 years left.
That isn't going to happen, and Mariner 9 is expected to deorbit sometime in 2022, starting the very slow process of introducing Terran life to Mars. IF any organisms survive the crash, they could start to spread, helped by the Martian dust storms, and very gradually adapting to the more favourable environments that they encounter.
Any searches for Martian life after that will have to be designed to tell the difference between native organisms and introduced ones.
There's only 10 years left.