Scientists Fear Interplanetary Infection From NASA's Martian Rock Samples When They Arrive to Earth

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has been collecting Martian rock samples for months now, which will be sent to Earth in the future for analysis. But as the American agency plans to bring those rock samples to Earth, some scientists are worried that out-of-this-world germs could hitch a ride and cause interplanetary infection.

They urge the space agency to figure out exactly how to protect the home planet from any microbes that might come from Mars. Bringing the samples to Earth will be a monumental moment in humans' efforts in exploring the Red Planet.

(Photo: NASA/AFP via Getty Images)
This high-resolution scanning electron microscope image released by NASA 19 March 1999, shows an unusual tube-like structural form that is less than 1/100th the width of a human hair in size found in meteorite ALH84001, a meteorite believed to be of Martian origin.

Rock Samples Could Host Some Germs From Mars

The prospect of bringing Martian rock samples to Earth has always been talked about for decades and is estimated to cost billions of dollars to accomplish, NPR reported.

Planetary scientist Jim Bell from Arizona State University, who is part of the Perseverance rover team, said they currently have eight rock samples onboard the rover. He explains that Perseverance has been exploring the ancient crater of Mars believed to have hosted water billions of years ago. The rover has kept these samples in a cylindrical core sealed inside its 42 metal tubes.

Despite that, questions like how the rover could contain any potential microbes or what specific features are needed for a secure lab to hold the rocks remain.

This week, NASA is holding public meetings that aim to look for feedback on its plan to land a spacecraft that carries Martian rock samples at a US Air Force base in Utah by the 2030s.

"Maybe this is the most important environmental assessment that humans have ever done," NPR quoted geologist Peter Doran. "I think that it's a very low probability that there's anything living at the surface of Mars, but there is a possibility."

Having rock samples from Mars here on Earth would be a dream come true for scientists as it will allow them to run exhaustive lab tests to look for evidence of life in the harsh, cold, and rocky world of the Red Planet.

ALSO READ: What Are The Quarantine Procedures for Astronauts from Space? Here's How Apollo 11 Crew Did It

Can Microbes From Mars Survive on Earth?

While concerns of interplanetary infection due to the microbes from the Martian rock samples are valid, Bell explains that any life from Mars would be ill-suited to survive in Earth's environment.

That is because those microbes came from a completely different ecosystem that is different from the biosphere on Earth, BGR reported. Bell added that although it is not confirmed yet that Mars has a biosphere, the chances of germs from the Red Planet surviving Earth are very low.

But still, NASA is not disregarding the danger as they plan to take a conservative approach to bring the Martian rock samples to Earth. Like many space missions before, NASA will sterilize and contain anything that has contacted Mars directly.

As to how NASA plans to accomplish this, they have not announced it yet. More news about how the space agency plans to handle any germs coming from outer space will probably be announced soon. After all, scientists still need to study those samples in-depth to find a way to make Mars breathable for humans to live.