(Extremely) Long-Term Evolutionary Experiment with Another World

[Tex]

So I had the idea floating around my head that perhaps we could pick a relatively small body in our solar system, one with liquid water and reasonable temperatures, and simply land a capsule full of Tardigrades or some other extremophile and let 'em run amok.

What kind of results do you envision from this?

I, personally, see a few scenarios. Firstly, perhaps the extremophiles begin thriving in their new environment and begin to evolve to make better use of the more-than-likely worse-than-Earth conditions. After a few million years (eh, maybe a billion or so (assuming nothing's destroyed the Earth yet ('cuz that'd be kinda nice to know we'd still be around for a while))), maybe this world could have an establishing ecosystem.

Or, perhaps the likelier outcome would be the slow and sad starvation of these extremophiles, or their inability to adapt eventually kills them.

What do you guys think?

P.S. I was thinking a world like Europa, with its under-ice oceans. Somewhere with liquid water.

[Roastduck]

I feel like taking up an entire celestial body for a single experiment would be HIGHLY inefficient, since any other missions to that same body could possibly taint the experiment.

[Stargate525]

I'd rather we settle whatever candidate planet chosen; if extremophiles can live there, then it wouldn't be too much of a nudge to get humans to live there.

And it also brings out the problem of: If our Earth life can live there, are we certain that the planet's not already occupied?

[Camacha]

Sounds familiar I think it would be an interesting experiment and good for life in general, but you would encounter a couple of moral/environmental issues. People would probably remind you of rabbits and cane toads that were introduced to Australia and how people thought that was a good idea at the time. I tend to agree with them in the sense that you can hardly undo your work, which makes it perilous at best.

Still, I would not mind sending life to a few distant corners of our solar system/galaxy/universe. Even if life on Earth is wiped out, we might sow it in other places. If that single act is what is left of mankind, I think we did allright.