Planetary scientists are eager to bring Red Planet rocks, soil and even air to Earth, but critics fear the risk of contaminating our world’s biosphere
Less than a decade from now, a spacecraft from Mars may swing by Earth to drop off precious cargo: samples of the Red Planet’s rocks, soil and even air to be scoured for signs of alien life by a small army of researchers right here on our terra firma. Orchestrated by NASA and the European Space Agency, this fast-paced, multibillion-dollar enterprise, formally known as the Mars Sample Return campaign, is the closest thing to a holy grail that planetary scientists have ever pursued.
Risky Business NASA’s present proposal for MSR calls for an as-yet-unbuilt interplanetary ferry to release a cone-shaped, sample-packed capsule—called the Earth Entry System—high above our planet’s atmosphere. The capsule will then endure a fiery plunge to Earth, sans parachute, ultimately landing in a dry lake bed within the Utah Test and Training Range. Despite impacting at roughly 150 kilometers per hour, the capsule will be designed to keep its samples intact and isolated.
Contrast this with the blunt opinion of Steven Benner, a prominent astrobiologist and founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Alachua, Fla.: “I do not see any need for long discussions about how samples from Mars should be stored once they reach our planet,” he says. That’s because space rocks striking Mars routinely eject material that ultimately ends up on Earth. Current estimates hold that about 500 kilograms of Martian rocks land on our planet every year, Benner says.
To meet that deadline, NASA must start designing—and building—such a facility immediately, says Philip Christensen, a professor at Arizona State University and co-chair of the new Decadal Survey’s steering committee. More fundamentally, Rummel says, it simply isn’t true that we know enough about Mars to quantify MSR’s risks of interplanetary contagion. “In the first place, we don’t know everything we want to know about Mars. That’s why we want the samples,” Rummel says. “We keep finding Earth organisms doing new things that are quite interesting from the standpoint of potential life elsewhere.
According to astrobiologist Cassie Conley, who succeeded Rummel as NASA’s planetary protection officer from 2006 to 2017, by the time MSR’s capsule impacts in a dry lake bed in Utah, “taxpayers will have invested at least $10 billion to bring these samples to Earth.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
Here are 40 facts about Earth to deepen your love of the planetThe Earth is our home and is a truly miraculous place. The only planet we've ever lived on, we are constantly learning about it over time. Here are some surprising facts about Earth.
Consulte Mais informação »
Opinion | The Right-Wing Supreme Court Readies to Help Destroy the PlanetThe SCOTUS is about to use it's ill-gotten power on behalf of the fossil fuel industry to cripple America's ability to meet the challenge of climate change.
Consulte Mais informação »
Disney's Planet of the Apes Movie Could Reportedly Lead To New TrilogyDisney reportedly has hopes that Wes Ball's upcoming PlanetOfTheApes movie will start a new trilogy of films for the 20th Century franchise.
Consulte Mais informação »
Summer solstice 2022 celebrated on Earth and in space (photos)Summer began today (June 21) in the Northern Hemisphere at 5:14 a.m. EDT (0914 GMT).
Consulte Mais informação »
China plans to return Mars samples to Earth in 2031: reportThat's two years earlier than NASA and ESA plan to pull it off.
Consulte Mais informação »