NASA is updating its guidelines on how to prevent contamination of the Solar System:
After years of debate, NASA plans to update its guidelines for how much biological contamination of other worlds will be allowed while the agency explores the Solar System.
[...] For decades, NASA has followed fairly strict rules about how much biological contamination is considered acceptable whenever the agency sends probes — or people — to other planets. It's a concept known as planetary protection, and it has a legal basis in a treaty signed more than 50 years ago. Called the Outer Space Treaty, it challenges nations to explore other worlds "so as to avoid their harmful contamination" and to not bring back any alien microbes from other worlds that could cause harm to Earth.
A big goal of planetary protection has been to keep us from tracking microbes all over the Solar System. That way, if we were to come across some kind of life form on another world, we would know with certainty that it actually came from that world and that we didn't put it there on accident. Planetary protection is also focused on keeping humans safe, too. If a country does find life, we want to make sure it's not going to wipe us out if they bring it back to our planet.
[...] But now, NASA is particularly focused on sending humans into deep space once again. And whenever people go into space, we carry tons of bacteria with us, no matter how much we clean. With human exploration such a high priority, NASA now wants to rethink some of the more strict requirements for the Moon and Mars — otherwise human exploration would be too tough to pull off. Today, NASA released two new "interim directives" that lay out potential changes to the guidelines for exploring the Moon and Mars. It follows years of urging from the space community to update these rules.
"We need to relook at these policies because we can't go to Mars with humans if the principle that we're living by is that we can't have any microbial substances with us," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a webinar announcing the new proposed changes. "Because that's just not possible."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Sunday July 12 2020, @01:28PM (2 children)
"we should stop contaminating the solar system" (NASA)
"Universe is marvellous, life probably comes from other star systems, planets, asteroids" (also NASA)
Lameness filter encountered, post succeeded.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @01:59PM (1 child)
NASA should have the cosmonauts drink lysol before every flight.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:16PM
I thought bleach was the in thing?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Insightful) by VLM on Sunday July 12 2020, @02:01PM
Well, technically we'd know we didn't send it there at most.
There are rocks from mars on earth today, something about meteor strikes mars ejects so much stuff so fast that some hits earth maybe a bacteria spore could survive inside etc.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @02:49PM (6 children)
That's an easy one: None.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Sunday July 12 2020, @04:38PM (2 children)
We already put bags of poop on the Moon and probably quite a few microbes on Mars.
Nobody cares if Venus or Jupiter gets "contaminated".
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(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:31PM (1 child)
I'm not worried about places where life from Earth can't survive.
I'm worried about places where it can.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:40PM
Well, there is a push to put manned bases or colonies on Mars and the Moon. It doesn't seem like any Earth microbes are going to have a great time in Martian "soil" [wikipedia.org], but some people are worried about it. It's possible that Mars has underground lakes or oceans with life in them, but it could be difficult or impossible for Earth life to contaminate it without deliberate drilling.
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(Score: 4, Informative) by Common Joe on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:54PM (1 child)
Don't be so sure. They've found some forms of bacteria can survive re-entry, the vacuum of space, and pretty much most toxins.
Then, there are the tardigrades [britannica.com] which are a multi-cellular and can seem to survive just about anything we throw at them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @06:15PM
except the 3rd season of start trek discovery ^_^
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Joe Desertrat on Sunday July 12 2020, @09:20PM
The same rules will apply as on Earth, if someone with enough money and influence is doing the contaminating and claiming a profit. anything goes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @02:50PM (1 child)
> not bring back any alien microbes
This has been so elusive , a goal of literally every Mars mission ever, maybe that is the way to prove it!
(Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:34PM
>alien microbes
Space exploration 101: Aliens spread through facehugging eggs.
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(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @03:31PM (1 child)
No Muslim astronauts. Easiest way to ensure this is to put bacon bits on all the spaceman food.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Bot on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:36PM
No need, you will spot the muslim astronaut because he will reorient when praying every time you fly over Mecca.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 12 2020, @05:11PM
Doc title: "Planetary Protection Categorization".
Doc contents: Don't overly contaminate the parts we might still want to study.
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Monday July 13 2020, @11:34AM
"... we didn't put it there on accident."
NY/NJ maybe?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday July 13 2020, @02:24PM
What if a sterile spacecraft were the contamination?
What if an RTG or nuclear power supply were the contamination?
What if a certain lubricant in a bearing were the contamination?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.