‘We’ll soon know what historic Martian data NASA is sitting on…unless it isn’t.’ (CNET). I am eagerly awaiting the early December announcement. I’m predicting NASA will confirm the detection of organic compounds in the Martian soil. Attempts at deflecting what they have so far let slip are just that.
A question for any readers who might be in the know: a space vehicle is sent to another planet to scan for organic compounds. What do you have to do to disinfect it from traces of earthly organics to avoid a false positive? Is the trip through the void of space enough? What has NASA done?
I don’t know much about the likelihood of tardigrades getting into or onto a space vehicle during it’s construction, but if they did there’s a good chance they could survive the trip.
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