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Meet NASA's "Planetary Protection Officer" - which remains one of the neatest titles in the world - Dr. Pratt's job is overseeing how NASA avoids contaminating potentially habitable environments around the solar system with material from Earth.
The space stations of the immediate future are going to have to be clean. This is because they will represent the first wave of manned scientific missions to their destinations (which may include the surface of Mars). Therefore, their crews will need to avoid contamination at all costs, so that the samples of extra-terrestrial material remain pristine. This process will preserve their value to researchers and engineers after they are collected.On Earth, the best option to prevent this kind of contamination is a clean-room environment.
We knew that a certain strain of bacteria was able to withstand ultra-hygienic spacecraft assembly facilities but not exactly sure how. A recent report may be able to provide more insight on this issue, which could potentially cripple the extra-terrestrial science of the future.
Why Must Cassini Crash Into Saturn?
"Why does Cassini have to crash into Saturn?"
Cassini has served us well over the past twenty years, giving us incredible images of Saturn since 2004; thirteen years of imagery from its vantage in the outer solar system. With any lengthy mission, it is sad to see a spacecraft reach its end...
Read the full article on Forbes!
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Mars covered in toxic chemicals that can wipe out living organisms, tests reveal
In the past couple of years, various experiments have revealed the presence of perchlorate salts on Mars. On the one hand, these chemicals lower the freezing point of water enough for it to exist in liquid form on the surface of Mars, creating recurring slope lineae and leading to speculation that this could create conditions that harbour life. On the other hand, perchlorates are toxic, being something that future Mars settlers will have to remove from their water supply, and could instead prove hostile to life on Mars.
A recent study found that, when combined with the UV radiation experienced on the Martian surface, the perchlorates become particularly effective at killing bacteria. This deals yet another blow to the chances of finding life on the surface of Mars, with safer conditions for living organisms only likely to exist at least a few metres below the Martian surface.
Oddly enough, I and some of my fellow Mars One candidates find this to be good news for our mission! We can keep ourselves safe by sheltering ourselves from radiation and purifying our water, but this means that we are less likely to severely contaminate large amounts of the Martian environment with our explorations. At a time when we cannot definitively answer the question of whether or not there is microbial life on Mars, this will reduce the risk of us accidentally wiping out native lifeforms, since any bacteria that we bring outside of our habitats will quickly be sterilised by the Martian environment.
I’m sitting in this new coffee shop compiling this educational post on climate change (which I’ll be publishing at the end of next week!) and brainstorming other ideas to write about (just check out this page to see what topics I’ll be writing on!) and honestly this just feels exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. Honestly, it almost feels as fulfilling as writing books. Researching, learning, and translating science knowledge for the general public just feels so right.
Martian soil as a potential barrier to Earth microbes: insights from tardigrades
Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears, may be better suited by a new name: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy. Unlike the fictional ragtag team of unenthusiastic heroes, the microscopic animals are providing real insight into how humans could adapt extraterrestrial resources to support space exploration, as well as whether such resources could help protect against the Earthly contaminants that…
To be Manly is to be a Protector.
Ergo, the more things you Protect, the more Manly you are.
Therefore, the most manly person on Earth is Dr. J. Nick Benardini.
The NASA Advisory Council has recommended that NASA review its existing planetary protection guidelines to balance the needs of science and exploration.
