Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Assembling Mars-bound spacecraft requires ultra-clean conditions.
Credit: NASA/JPL

New research suggests that spacecraft clean rooms are more “room” than clean.

As multiple nations lob spacecraft to Mars, there’s always concern that Red Planet-bound vehicles are providing a free ride to organic material and microbes. That material can pollute a place that was beforehand thought immaculate.

Moreover, unintentional inoculation of Mars with Earthly microorganisms or other contaminants could imperil the scientific validity of spotting a true Martian bio-signature from an Earth-transported organism.

Inoculation of Mars with Earthly microorganisms could imperil the scientific validity of spotting a true Martian bio-signature. Shown here is NASA’s Mars 2020 rover now in development.
Credit: NASA/JPL

Special care

While special care is given to probes headed outward to Mars — or other destinations that may be a site with a potential for past or present life – turns out that spacecraft clean rooms are due for increased scrutiny.

For more details on this bio-worry, go to my new Space.com story at:

Spacecraft Clean Rooms Have Some Dirty Little Secrets

By Leonard David, Space.com’s Space Insider Columnist

July 5, 2017 07:10am ET

https://www.space.com/37392-spacecraft-clean-rooms-not-so-clean.html

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