[meteorite-list] Mars rover pollution

[Darren Garrison]

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:25:12 +0100, "mark ford" <markf at ssl.gb.com> wrote:

>There are plenty of microbes on Earth which could survive on Mars, there
>may well be some yet undiscovered ones that could thrive on mars for all
>we know.

Define "survive".  I don't personally think that there is a single living thing on or in the Earth
that can live, metabolize, and reproduce (my definition of "survive") in a deeply sub-zero,
waterless, radiation bathed near vaccuum environment.  (And we aren't talking about what it might be
like hundreds or thousands of feet below the surface of Mars, because these organisms have no way to
get there from the surface).

>
>I am sure they could have sterilised the rovers once in space if they
>had the will, and once the rovers have finished their task on the
>surface they could have initiated some kind of auto-sterilise/destruct
>sequence using explosives, to prevent internal contamination leaching to
>the outside world once the rovers degrade, got to be better than
>spraying with ethane and hoping that the odds make it 'unlikley' -
>unlikely is not good enough.

There is a line where due diligence ends and utter paranoia begins.  With a really good telescope,
you can ALMOST see that line off in the distance from this position.