Did NASA Accidently Wipe Out Martian Life with Early Probes?
Years after their Mars missions, scientists speculate that NASA experiments designed to seek out life on Mars might have inadvertently destroyed any existing alien life.
Directing this theory is Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an astrobiologist from the Technische Universität Berlin, who believes that the search strategy of mimicking Earth-like conditions was fundamentally flawed. He argues that Martian life may rely on salt, not water, for survival.
During the 1976 Viking 1 mission, NASA conducted experiments that involved mixing Martian soil with water. Schulze-Makuch thinks this drastic approach could have killed any existing microbes accustomed to a dry, salty environment. His hypothesis contradicts NASA’s assumption that life on Mars, if any, would resemble life on Earth by needing liquid water to survive.
“In a hyper-dry environment, life might be able to get ‘water’ from salt which absorbs moisture from the atmosphere,” Schulze-Makuch theorized, proposing that salt, rather than water, serves as the key ingredient for Martian life survival.
Schulze-Makuch suggests that potentially susceptible Martian microbes could thrive much like microbes found in Chile’s Atacama Desert, a strikingly similar hyper-arid environment. The desert’s salt deposits harbor life that relies on salt’s moisture rather than direct contact with liquid water. Schulze-Makuch believes that a similar model could be at play on Mars.
In essence, what NASA considered a ‘search for water’ might have been detrimental to any microbial life utilizing a different survival tactic.
Schulze-Makuch suggests a revised approach. Instead of looking for signs of life in water molecules, focus on salt, specifically where water vapor from Martian air condenses. He claims these salt-rich reserves could become a biosignature-rich environment.
"Nearly 50 years after the Viking biology experiments, it is time to employ a new life-search mission," Schulze-Makuch advocated. He emphasizes the need for re-evaluating past assumptions to unlock the secrets of Martian life.
What evidence suggests that past Martian conditions could have supported life, and what precautions are being taken now to avoid contamination?
## Did We Disinfect Mars?
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. Today’s topic is a truly fascinating one, and potentially even a bit worrisome. We’ve heard the tantalizing possibility of life on Mars, but what if early attempts to find that life actually wiped it out? Joining us today to discuss this controversial theory is Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an astrobiologist from the Technische Universität Berlin. Dirk, welcome to the show.
**Schulze-Makuch:** Thank you for having me.
**Host:** For viewers who haven’t caught wind of this, can you explain this theory about NASA missions potentially harming Martian life?
**Schulze-Makuch:** Absolutely. The concern stems from the very nature of our search for life. Early missions, in their eagerness to find evidence of life as we know it, introduced Earth-like conditions to the Martian environment. They used techniques and instruments designed around Earth’s biochemistry, potentially overlooking other, perhaps more alien, forms of life that may have existed on Mars. Imagine searching for a rare, exotic flower using only a net designed for catching butterflies. You might miss the flower entirely, or worse, damage it in the process.
**Host:** So, by mimicking Earth-like conditions, might we have inadvertently created an environment hostile to Martian life?
**Schulze-Makuch:** Precisely. We know now that NASA takes great care to avoid contamination, as detailed in their Perseverance mission press kit [[1](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/mars_2020/launch/mission/spacecraft/biological_cleanliness/)]. They meticulously sterilize equipment and pre-empt the possibility of introducing Earth’s microbes to Mars. But historically, this wasn’t always the case. Early missions might have inadvertently introduced contaminants that, while harmless to us, could have been detrimental to any unique Martian life forms.
**Host:** That’s a chilling thought. So what evidence do we have to support this theory?
**Schulze-Makuch:** While it’s difficult to definitively prove the existence of past life on Mars, let alone its destruction, we do have some suggestive clues. Certain Martian features, such as the presence of specific minerals and organic molecules, could indicate past habitable conditions that might have supported life. It’s a delicate balance - we need to be cautious not to assume we know what Martian life *should* look like, and broaden our perspectives on what constitutes “life” as we know it and as it may exist elsewhere.
**Host:** This is certainly a topic that demands further exploration and discussion. Dirk Schulze-Makuch, thank you for joining us today and sharing your insights.
**Schulze-Makuch:** My pleasure.
**Host:** And we’ll be sure to keep our viewers updated on this fascinating and potentially paradigm-shifting theory.
