Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars

Some microbes on Earth may be temporarily living on the surface of Mars, a new study by NASA and German Aerospace Center scientists has found. The researchers tested the stability of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth’s stratosphere, as it closely represents key positions on the Red Planet. Published in Boundaries in microbiology, this work paves the way for understanding not only the threat of microbes to space missions, but also the opportunities for resource independence from Earth.

“We have successfully tested a new way of exposing bacteria and fungi to Mars-like conditions using a scientific balloon to fly our experimental equipment up to the Earth’s stratosphere,” reports Marta Filipa Cortesão, first co-founder author of this study from the German Aerospace Center, Cologne, Germany. “Some microbes, especially spores from the black mold fungus, were able to survive during the trip, even when exposed to real UV radiation. high. “

Understanding the sustainability of microbes in terms of space travel is critical to the success of future missions. When we seek life outside the earth, we must be sure that nothing we find has traveled with us from the Earth.

“With long-term crew missions to Mars, we need to know how human-related microorganisms can survive on the Red Planet, as some could pose a health risk to astronauts,” he said. first author Katharina Siems, who is also based at the German Aerospace Center. “In addition, some microbes could be extremely useful for space exploration. They could help us make food and supplies independent of the Earth, which will be vital when they are far away from home. ”

Many of the key features of the Martian surface environment cannot be easily detected or reproduced at the surface of our planet, however, above the ozone layer in the Earth’s central stratosphere the conditions are very similar.

“We launched the microbes into the stratosphere within the MARSBOx (Microbes in Atmosphere for Radiation, Survival and Biological Outcomes) payload, which was held at Martian pressure and filled with artificial Martian atmosphere throughout the mission. , “Cortesão explained. “There were two sets of samples in the box, with the lower layer protected from radiation. This allowed us to separate the effects of radiation from the other conditions tested: desiccation, atmosphere, and temperature change during the flight. the high – level samples are exposed to more than a thousand times more UV radiation than the levels that can cause sunburn on our skin. “

“While not all microbes survived the mission, one previously found on the International Space Station, the black mold Aspergillus niger, could be regenerated upon its return home,” Siems explained. which highlights the importance of this ongoing research.

“Microorganisms are closely linked to us; our body, our food, our environment, so it is impossible to control them out of space travel. Using good analogies for the Martian environment, such as MARSBOx balloon mission to the stratosphere, its a very important way to help us study all the effects of space travel on microbial life and how we can direct this knowledge to discoveries amazing space. ”

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