Upon return to Earth, the organisms will be revived and tested to see if they can reproduce. Russia's Space Research Institute in Moscow has a more ambitious plan. Scientists there are proposing to send crustaceans, mosquito larvae, bacteria and fungi to visit Phobos and then return the critters to Earth. The point of the Russian experiment is to is study how cosmic radiation affects living organisms during the various stages of flight. Phobos-Grunt -- "grunt" is a Russian word for "soil" -- also includes a small satellite built by China. Yinghuo-1 will ride piggyback with Phobos-Grunt and then be released for an independent study of Mars. NASA and the European Space Agency are developing a mission to retrieve rock and soil samples from Mars in an attempt to learn if the planet ever supported life. Astrobiologist Jack Farmer, with Arizona State University in Tempe, sees the Phobos-Grunt mission as a good opportunity to test techniques and procedures to assure Mars samples do not become contaminated upon reaching Earth, and vice-versa. "Containment is a big issue," said Farmer, who served on a National Research Council panel that recently concluded a review of planetary protection procedures. "NASA has a stringent view of planetary protection, particularly from places that had the potential to harbor life." Phobos is not regarded as a potential haven for extraterrestrial life, but it hasn't been ruled out either. Its visitors will remain contained during their stay on Phobos, but even if they were somehow released, Farmer believes their chances of survival are very slim. "There's always a finite risk associated with these kinds of events," he said. Related Links: |
advertisement
Put Discovery News on Your Site!
|
-
our sites
-
video
mobile
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
