FAQ: Planetary Quarantine

7 facts about the possibility of contamination of other planets terrestrial life forms

To date, the period of the study of the planets of the solar system using unmanned spacecraft has been around for decades. The main purpose of the implementation of this program is to provide answers to a number of questions. First of all, as the origin of life in the universe? Does it exist outside the Earth or the conditions for its occurrence on planets, satellites and so on. Paradoxically, the very development of astronautics can doom the program on a very bad ending, if you do not provide the ability to limit or cease entirely possible contamination of other planets terrestrial life forms. At the same time, we understand the laws of evolutionary development of these planets may be violated, and can be prepared completely wrong results about the possibility of life and life on other planets.

• 1.Not less dangerous from the point of view of the inhabitants of the Earth is the possibility of infection of the Earth by extraterrestrial life forms. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the following fact: we can not completely sterilize spacecraft that will fly to another planet, and always a certain number of terrestrial microorganisms on it will remain. And upon his return, we can not predict the result. We can not predict how the earth changed those microorganisms that survive in the conditions of the other planets, they have mutated.
• 2.In the last century a number of countries have signed an agreement that during the development of the planets of the solar system is necessary to prevent contamination of other planets and their satellites terrestrial life forms. And established in 1962, the Committee on Space Research, COSPAR, developed the concept of planetary quarantine. In short, this concept is as follows: all the space missions are ranked into five categories depending on the biological interest in the world of the target and the type of expedition: Transient this expedition, or orbital, without landing on a celestial body, or is it a mission with the landing, or not just landing, but with the return of extraterrestrial matter.
• The first two categories are expeditions to the planet, do not pose a biological interest due to the conditions, which are an insurmountable obstacle to the emergence of life, or almost insurmountable, as a category two. The third category, the fourth and fifth are the expedition to the planet, which are biological interest, that is, to them life is possible. The first hearing on Mars at all, then Europe, and of possibly a number of other planets. However, the third category includes flights without landing on Mars, respectively, in the fourth - with the landing, and the fifth - landing and return.
• 3.In the aspect of all these so-called problems of planetary quarantine, we must first understand, and in fact whether terrestrial microorganisms, inevitably contaminating space technology to remain viable in the environment of outer space for the time required for the flight to another planet and return to Earth. And software and hardware space experiment was set up in the aspect of the problem in Biomedical Problems Institute under the title "Biorisk".
• The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the chances of survival of microorganisms in the conditions of outer space, and then, if it were possible, the understanding of what is happening to these organisms after such a stressful influences. For the first time this experiment was launched in 2005, the year. The equipment for this experiment was quite simple. It provided a platform that was attached to the outside of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. It was a platform with a fixed three containers. These containers were placed Petri dishes, tightly packed, but with holes in the lids closed filters. This filter can pass the air, but could not go microorganisms. These cups were placed in containers which were provided with a cover. On Earth this cup was placed into the sample of the material of construction of the outer side of the spacecraft. These materials were deposited association or individual cultures spores, bacteria and fungi. The plates were then placed in containers, capped and transported to the ISS. And when astronauts extravehicular activity possessed the containers on the platform and open the lid. Why do I have to fix it to your attention? Because between the outer space there was only a filter that was on the plate. And every six months, provided that one container will be made inside the ISS, and then go down to the Earth. So about what happened. After 7 months, at 12 and 18 we have one container.
• 4.What is the result we got? Disputes all three microscopic fungi retain their vitality, and all three within 12 months, and for 18-something - just one. A controversy four species of bacilli, is spore-forming bacteria retain their viability. That is getting later in favorable conditions, they germinate and have formed the microorganisms colonies. Of course, the number was much smaller than the original, and that we understand, but nonetheless, survived quite a number, and besides, they really changed their properties. There were strains in ultrastructure were the changes concerning the possibility, for example, the formation of multiple septa, dividing the bodies in bacilli, the thickening layer of vegetative mycelium of fungi, the emergence of resistance to antimicrobial agents. That is, these changes were designed to survive until the end of its use of adaptive capacity.
• 5.When we received these results, we have a new idea that not only micro-organisms may be in a state of rest, that is to form spores, which help them to experience unpleasant effects, and for many, many years. There is evidence that ten thousand years found viable spores that were in this form. There are also other organisms, are at a higher stage of development, which, however, can also be in a state of rest, form a diapause or cryptobiosis. The easiest example that all is clear - this is plant seeds that can lie for several years, and getting into the soil to germinate.
• Then we took a number of biological objects, not only bacteria and fungi, but also the African mosquito larvae, fish eggs, seeds, shellfish embryos, and also repeated this kind of experiment. Moreover, we extravehicular activity of astronauts has been constructed so that the experiment lasted a total of 31 months, because they were at a spacewalk busy with other matters. Nevertheless, a lot of it has survived. Died fish eggs, but survived the mosquito larva, some seeds, bacteria and fungi - naturally, some crustaceans. That is, the planetary quarantine can be viewed in a broader context, not only related to microorganisms, but also so that they can be stored, and other forms of real life. To improve you immune system buy IRS 19 nasal spray, Selank nasal drops, Cerluten and Endoluten Peptide.
• 6.The data are not only of general scientific interest, but also invaluable practical importance in the aspect of planetary quarantine measures. Such measures are provided as a solution of COSPAR, and in accordance with these decisions, all countries that are planning to launch spacecraft to other planets, must necessarily comply with the rules. And in particular, if provided for landing on the planet, it is necessary to seek the biological purity of the ship during its assembly and so on the order of three hundred spores per square meter. There are provided and clean rooms, and very clean assembly and so on and so forth. And we have experience of this kind of work, in particular, the planned launches of Mars-94 Mars-96 spacecraft launch Phobos-Grunt, which were worked out a lot of things related to the planetary quarantine.

There is a lot of controversy about the origin of life on Earth. And there is the theory of panspermia, that life on Earth is the result of the spread of the so-called space spores of life that could hit the Earth from comets, meteorites, and so on. And by implication, of course, the results of biological experiments, we have received confirm this theory, in so far as they show that long-term space flights, which can take place and will take place in future space interplanetary flights, microorganisms, and not only they, and higher organisms can survive.