Good points, Seth. Ultimately, it does mean contamination in both directions. Mars will not remain pristine; earth will become innoculated. Looking at the far, far distant future, when/if Mars is terraformed or at least peppered with outposts and various habitations, this bridge will have to be crossed. And our track record of environmental stewardship, as a species, isn't a good one. Hopefully there will be a "honeymoon" period of identification, classification, and study before the cross-contamination happens, but I don't see any way out of it in the long run. --- Seth Jarvis <SJarvis@slco.org> wrote:
Does our exploration of Mars put the planet at risk for bio-contamination?
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