Why an absolute no contamination policy is futile

There is an international space microbial policy that requests space explorers to try and avoid 'harmful contamination' when exploring other planets. The idea behind this is policy is that we must try to avoid contaminating Mars before we can actually verify that no extraterrestrial life existed there prior to human contact.

However, Lopez and his team suggest that we rethink this policy. Their message intends to convince that using the more forward-looking term microbial 'introductions or release' into space would be better applicable than the negative term contamination. In addition, the research team believes that the contemporary planetary protection policy is not compatible with future plans to eventually colonize space.

As it stands now, in order to comply with the no contamination policy, it is required to sterilize spaceships before sending them to another planet. The researchers emphasize that obsessing about microbes in space is not practical as they are indispensable components of life with a majority of microbes being beneficial and nonpathogenic. On top of that, it is pointed out that it seems redundant, expensive, and futile to aim for complete sterility of every nook and cranny on all spacecraft for every mission.

Finally, the scientists call attention to the fact that even if it were possible to sterilize a spaceship completely, the human crew would still carry many microbial communities in their bodies. Taking it a step further, you might even look at humans and see them as so-called metaorganisms, composed of the host and its incorporated microbiome. To think that we could send humans to Mars as well as prevent microbial contamination is notably far fetched.

As stated by Lopez and his team, practical consideration for discarding the strict no-contamination guidelines, at least when it comes to our own solar system, is cost. Obligations to keep every segment of space hardware free of microbial contamination are wasteful and add extra coats of regulation, personnel expertise, and time. Even when putting in all the effort, there is still absolutely no guarantee that no contamination will take place as it is not possible to sterilize crewmembers. It is, therefore, perhaps a better idea to primarily focus on removing known harmful microbes using the ever-increasing developments in DNA, RNA, and protein identification techniques to our advantage.

The benefits of sending microbes to Mars

As mentioned before, the researchers propose an alternative viewpoint to space science policy. They recommend a focus on microorganisms and would like to see them as the first 'Earthly pioneers' to settle on Mars, mirroring what likely happened on primordial Earth. Lopez and his team think that microbes will ultimately promote terraforming. However, they let no mistake; it will not be effortless by any means as many obstacles will need to be overcome.