Bringing Martian rocks to Earth, afraid of containing alien bacteria

The Mars Perseverance rover collects rock samples – Photo: NASA

NASA said it will hold public meetings this week and ask for public feedback on its plan to bring samples of Martian rock back to Earth. Many people expressed excitement, however Some scientists are concerned, according to the technology news site BGR.

NASA plans to land a spacecraft with Martian rock samples at a US Air Force base in the early 2030s. It’s still a long way off, but some scientists warn NASA needs to make sure everyone is protected from microbes outside of Earth.

Mr. Peter Doran, a geologist at Louisiana State University, explained: “I think the probability of having objects on the surface of Mars is very low. But still have to watch out for all possibilities.”

NASA’s current plan is to send double-layer crates to Mars to store the collected rock samples. These crates will be shipped back to Earth for scientists to conduct research.

Jim Bell, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University (USA), said that any life on Mars is not suitable to exist on Earth. It’s an entirely different ecosystem and biosphere. Therefore, the possibility of the existence of alien bacteria on the Martian rock samples is very low.