Contaminating Mars | MARS

one of the big questions we have is when
we get to Mars how much do we impact it
the scientific community is very worried
about Mars being contaminated by our
efforts to go there and establish a
civilization because you don’t want
human microbes commingling with Martian
microbes if we haven’t yet discovered
that Martian microbes yet exist but the
fact is is that we take ourselves with
us wherever we go when you send humans
by definition you’re bringing earth life
to Mars once certain microbes spread
around the surface of Mars
then scientists will have a contaminated
place to go look at they won’t have a
true wilderness and
many of their results will be muddled if
not confused and uncertain
there’s sensible steps I think we can
take to satisfy not only the scientific
enquiries but also what might be the
business interest that would come later
one of the things that we’re doing right
now is planetary protection when we send
Rovers to Mars we have to be able to
sterilize them so that’s why I really
enjoyed this particular next decade
without humans because it gives us this
chance to really study Mars in its
pristine environment that’s what we want
to do first
you