Interplanetary contamination
Encyclopedia
Interplanetary Contamination is the hypothetical contamination
of a sterile
planetary body by human spacecraft
, either deliberate or unintentional. This is considered a potential form of directed panspermia. Currently international agreements cover the sterility of spacecraft that leave earth.
or planetoid.
, Mars
, or Venus
.
moon probe, launched by NASA
, may have had a camera lens contaminated by Streptococcus mitis
before launch, this was discovered when the camera was returned to earth by the Apollo 12
mission, however the time of the contamination is inconclusive and may have occurred after the camera was returned to earth.
mission to Venus
was not fully sterilized before launch.
mission to intentionally send microscopic Tardigrades (also known as Water Bears) to the Martian moon Phobos
via a Russian spacecraft, in an attempt to test the theory of panspermia.
Contamination
Contamination is the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent in material, physical body, natural environment, at a workplace, etc.-Specifics:"Contamination" also has more specific meanings in science:...
of a sterile
Sterilization (microbiology)
Sterilization is a term referring to any process that eliminates or kills all forms of microbial life, including transmissible agents present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media...
planetary body by human spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, either deliberate or unintentional. This is considered a potential form of directed panspermia. Currently international agreements cover the sterility of spacecraft that leave earth.
Resilience of Life in Space
It is believed that the harsh environments encountered throughout the rest of the solar system so far do not seem to support complex terrestrial life, however certain extremophiles may be resilient enough to survive space travel to possibly contaminate a sterile planetPlanet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
or planetoid.
Galileo Spacecraft
- The Galileo Spacecraft was deliberately crashed into JupiterJupiterJupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
at the end of the mission in order to avoid contaminating any of the moons of Jupiter.
Possible Accidental Contamination
Though unconfirmed, several missions have left open the possibility of interplanetary contamination of the MoonMoon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, or Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
.
Apollo Missions
All of the manned Apollo Missions that landed on the moon (11, 12, & 14-17), leave open the possibility of the contamination of the lunar surface by the astronauts when they exited the lunar module.Surveyor 3
The Surveyor 3Surveyor 3
Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the American unmanned Surveyor program sent to explore the surface of the Moon. Launched on April 17, 1967, Surveyor 3 landed on April 20, 1967 at the Mare Cognitum portion of the Oceanus Procellarum...
moon probe, launched by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, may have had a camera lens contaminated by Streptococcus mitis
Streptococcus mitis
Streptococcus mitis is a mesophilic alpha-hemolytic species of Streptococcus that inhabits the human mouth. It is a Gram positive, coccus, facultative anaerobe and catalase negative. It can cause endocarditis...
before launch, this was discovered when the camera was returned to earth by the Apollo 12
Apollo 12
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
mission, however the time of the contamination is inconclusive and may have occurred after the camera was returned to earth.
Venera 9
The Soviet Venera 9Venera 9
Venera 9 was a USSR unmanned space mission to Venus. It consisted of an orbiter and a lander. It was launched on June 8, 1975 02:38:00 UTC and weighed 4,936 kg...
mission to Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
was not fully sterilized before launch.
Phobos
There is a Planetary SocietyPlanetary Society
The Planetary Society is a large, publicly supported, non-government and non-profit organization that has many research projects related to astronomy...
mission to intentionally send microscopic Tardigrades (also known as Water Bears) to the Martian moon Phobos
Phobos (moon)
Phobos is the larger and closer of the two natural satellites of Mars. Both moons were discovered in 1877. With a mean radius of , Phobos is 7.24 times as massive as Deimos...
via a Russian spacecraft, in an attempt to test the theory of panspermia.
See Also
- Surveyor 3Surveyor 3Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the American unmanned Surveyor program sent to explore the surface of the Moon. Launched on April 17, 1967, Surveyor 3 landed on April 20, 1967 at the Mare Cognitum portion of the Oceanus Procellarum...
- It is claimed that a common type of bacteria, Streptococcus mitisStreptococcus mitisStreptococcus mitis is a mesophilic alpha-hemolytic species of Streptococcus that inhabits the human mouth. It is a Gram positive, coccus, facultative anaerobe and catalase negative. It can cause endocarditis...
, accidentally contaminated the Surveyor's camera prior to launch, and that the bacteria survived two years until discovered by Apollo 12Apollo 12Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
. - Venera 9Venera 9Venera 9 was a USSR unmanned space mission to Venus. It consisted of an orbiter and a lander. It was launched on June 8, 1975 02:38:00 UTC and weighed 4,936 kg...
- USSR mission to VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
that may have been partially contaminated the probe prior to launch. - Back-contaminationBack-contaminationBack-contamination is the informal but widely employed name for the hypothetical introduction of microbial extraterrestrial organisms into Earth's biosphere. It is assumed that any such contact will be disruptive or at least have consequences over which human beings will have little control...
- The theoretical contamination of EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's biosphereBiosphereThe biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
from microbial extraterrestrialExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
organisms. - Panspermia
External Links
- GYRE.org Mars Robot may have destroyed evidence of life
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scientists fear Interplanetary Contamination in new Mars missions
- Wired Magazine Water Bears Are Headed for a Martian Moon