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Mars Debate


apollo2011

Should we put a Nuclear Plant on Mars?  

1 member has voted

  1. 1. Should we put a Nuclear Plant on Mars?

    • Yes!
      1
    • No way!
      2
    • Not yet. We should still try to find life.
      0


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After reading a Mars article on the main Forum Page I had a thought.

 

I fwe build a nuclear plant or anything else permanent cant bacteria infect the planet? If we bring up a piece of non-sterile e3quipment it could place bacteria on the red planet that we later find and confirm as the first discovered like on Mars.

 

I think NASA agress with me becuase they were recently persuading Japan to keep a craft that was no longer functioning to go to Mars.

 

I think we should send up only nessecary misions and figure out if there is life on Mars before we accidentally put it there.

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What if life on mars accidentely did contaminated earth before they stopped living or stopped living there.

 

That brings up the question how long would it take before all our satellites fall back to earth. (without someone correcting them of course)

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I agree that it is extremely unlikely, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

 

- Contaminating mars/area on mars possibly.

- That we find our own contamination after some time, very unlikely.

 

The most important question is one that hasn't been answered "is/was there life on mars?"

if not then there isn't anything to contaminate.

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I think it's a waste of money. It's not like we could live there. I mean those stupid probes, that american taxes payed for, aren't going to find any evidence of life. I read an article that something on one of them was already malfunctioning. They still have to make it to the surface.

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Kedas said in post #6 :

I agree that it is extremely unlikely, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

It pretty much is impossible. The biology is not rocket science (truism not intended).

 

A fungal spore would be more likely to survive the trip (not to mention the local conditions) but I somehow doubt it would thrive in the Martian environment.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Europa is at higher risk because (i) microbes we deliver there will be better preserved (assuming they reach the surface) so in theory we might detect them instead of indigenous life, and (ii) it has a much higher probability of harbouring life which needs to be protected against contamination.

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  • 2 months later...

Why is it impossible? I heard about a Japanese space probe that was heading toward Mars that lost power and the US wanted the Japanese to steer it off course so it would land and risk contaminating the planet.

 

Unless... You mean that bacteria from earth wouldn't be able to survive on Mars.

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No, that's Europa - a moon of Jupiter.

 

Titan is thought to have liquid methane or ethane on the surface. It's possible that it once harboured chemotrophic life. Right now however the temperature is about -180°C, and any water will be frozen.

 

Titan does not have the immense geo-gravitational stress that we theorise might maintain a liquid sub-surface ocean on Europa.

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...I also found this:

In 2008, NASA plan to launch the Europa Orbiter - a probe that will explore this mysterious moon. It will scan the surface using radar, to locate where the ice is thinnest. This information will be used to plan the landing sites for future missions. Robotic probes will be sent to drill down through the ice to look for life in the water below.
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