Recently, two missions were launched from Earth to Mars. United Arab Emirates’ Spacecraft to Mars, HOPE PROBE was successfully launched by the H-2A rocket from the Space Center in Japan on July 16. The spacecraft is scheduled to enter Mars orbit in February next year. Similarly, on July 30, the United States successfully launched the Perseverance mission.
As space travel is currently being aggressively carried out by the nations of the world, astronomers have expressed concern about ‘space pollution’. Such pollution is considered to be of two types:
- Earth-based contamination: The transmission of terrestrial microorganisms to other astronomical objects.
- Back contamination: The transfer of extraterrestrial life (if any) to the Earth’s biosphere.
Earth-based pollution:
In the past, our space travels have made contact with astronomical objects such as comets and meteors. Man has also landed on the moon as part of space travel. However, due to the lack of potential for life on the astronomical objects with which we have been in contact to date, Earth-based pollution has not been considered a major problem. There, researchers are actively searching for signs of survival.
Whatever the potential for life on Mars, it is man’s ethical duty to see to it that Earth-based microbes do not disturb its biosphere. Astronomers say life on Mars should be allowed to develop in its own way.
However, scientists underestimate such pollution. They also refuse to accept the claim that Martian microbes (if they exist) could wreak havoc on Earth like the current epidemic. Although the biochemistry of the service is different from that of Earth, their view is that disaster is not possible.
The External Space Agreement, established in 1967, is a bulwark against the militarization of space. It is signed by 110 countries including USA, Russia, China and India. The treaty compels the nations of the world to go beyond military mechanization and to reduce pollution risks. It also emphasizes the need to limit the number of Earth-based microbes when conducting research in outer space, including space elements, and to ensure that life on other astronomical objects does not wreak havoc on Earth.
To avoid ground-based pollution, the spacecrafts are sterilized before departure. All Mars spacecrafts, since NASA’s Viking Lander, were completely disinfected in the 1970s. Last week, NASA postponed the launch of the Perseverance mission for the second time to solve the problem related to disinfection.
Disinfection is not a smooth solution to pollution on Earth because it destroys samples from another planet. The best solution is to set up protection zones to prevent the spread of life on Earth.
Any spacecraft that we send from Earth to another world carries organic material and microbes. These can contaminate a place that was previously pristine. Special care must be taken in sending spacecraft to Mars, or any other world with a potential for past or present life. These missions have to meet strict limits for both microbiological contamination and impact probabilities – these limits are described in the respective planetary protection requirements.
Referance : ESA
Author
Wow Jayalakshmi akka…super🔥🔥🇮🇳