[meteorite-list] Mars life concerns

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Jul 19 11:46:42 2005
Message-ID: <200507191545.j6JFjqH12905_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> First off, the microbes on the Surveyor camera were most likely
> introduced by the astronauts themselves during handling. The camera
> was kept in the Apollo lander and then the command module along with
> the astronauts, without any sort of contamination protection, for the
> entire trip back to Earth. Between them and the NASA ground staff that
> unloaded the Apollo module and what-not, by far the easier answer for
> the presence of common human-dwelling microbes is introduction by
> contamination rather than extended survival in a radiation-heavy hard
> vacuum.

Most people don't realize the Surveyor 3 camera was not placed into
quarantine until it was returned to Earth. Because of this, contanimation
by the astronauts cannot be ruled out.

Ron Baalke
Received on Tue 19 Jul 2005 11:45:52 AM PDT