Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, February 23 (Reporter Feng Weidong) A new study jointly conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Aerospace Center found that certain microorganisms on Earth can temporarily survive on the surface of Mars. The researchers tested the tolerance of microorganisms to the Martian environment by launching microorganisms into the Earth's stratosphere. The results of this research, published a few days ago in Frontiers in Microbiology, help to explore all the effects of space travel on microbial life, reveal the potential uses of these microbes and the threat to space travel. 

Many key features of the Martian surface environment cannot be found or easily replicated on the Earth's surface. NASA and the German Aerospace Center launched several fungal and bacterial organisms into the stratosphere in 2019. The stratosphere is the second major layer of the Earth’s atmosphere above the ozone layer. Its conditions are very similar to those of the Red Planet. It is an ideal place to send samples to determine whether microorganisms can survive on Mars.

The researchers placed fungal spores such as Aspergillus niger, Halobacterium seabuckthorn, and Staphylococcus aureus in aluminum containers. There are two sample layers in the container, and the bottom layer is shielded to prevent radiation. The researchers used balloons to transport the container to the stratosphere, where the sample was subjected to conditions similar to Mars, and the intensity of exposure to ultraviolet radiation was a thousand times that of sunburn.

Studies have shown that certain microorganisms, especially the spores of Aspergillus niger, can survive even exposure to very high ultraviolet radiation. To be precise, this microorganism can only temporarily exist on the surface of Mars, but the researchers found that the spores can be revived after returning to the ground.

What does the survival of Aspergillus niger mean for space travel? The researchers said, “With the arrival of manned missions to Mars, we need to know how human-related microbes will survive on the red planet, because certain microbes may pose health risks to astronauts. In addition, certain microbes are important to space. Exploration may be priceless, and they may help mankind to produce food and material supplies independently of the earth in the future, which is very important for mankind far from the earth."

Last year, NASA updated relevant policies and further pledged to prevent the moon and Mars from being polluted by humans. NASA wants to ensure that it does not unknowingly bring life on Earth or other pollutants to other worlds, because this may impair the chance of finding extraterrestrial life. In addition, bringing them back to Earth from other worlds may also have a negative impact on the human environment. The researchers explained that the latest experiments are a very important way to help explore all the effects of space travel on microbial life and how to use this knowledge for amazing space discoveries.

Chief Editor of Science and Technology Daily

Life is what mankind is struggling to find on other planets. This time, the experiments of researchers reminded that perhaps human exploration will spread some form of life elsewhere. The research described in this article points out that some samples of Aspergillus niger that were transported to the stratosphere can survive after returning to Earth. So, if humans really set foot on distant planets such as Mars, what will happen to the microbes that live with humans? Can they grow and multiply on those planets? Will microorganisms that have withstood the environmental tests of other planets come back to the earth, will there be any different changes? In the past, we studied space seeds; now, we also need to turn our attention to the microorganisms that are taken to space by humans. 

Source: Science and Technology Daily, translated by Google Translate