Re: contamination of other worlds/ moons?
From: Davoud (star_at_sky.net)
Date: 01/23/05
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Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 10:23:50 -0500
John Lingenfelter:
> With out [sic] landing of probes on Mars, Venus and now Titan, I can't help but
> wonder if we're also contaminating those worlds? I doubt if anything would
> survive externally on the probes after going through space, but what about
> tools, cutters, etc that come from inside?
The answer is "It is entirely possible that we have contaminated Mars,
Venus, our own Moon, and Titan with microörganisms, but there is a good
chance that we will never know if this is true." The likelihood that
humans will ever explore Venus or Titan is vanishingly remote, and Mars
also seems to be a improbable target, in spite of grandiose talk here
and there. As for going back to the Moon, for what purpose?
Consider this: suppose life on Earth sprang from microörganisms that
were brought here -- intentionally or not -- by a visiting space probe
from a (then) nearby star very early in Earth's history. I can imagine
the radioed report: "Landed on a sea shore. Gullies seen were probably
created by liquid water... No life detected..."
Davoud
-- usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
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