Biology! Don't see too many of these. Eurpoa missions.

[Idobox]

About life on Titan, I'd like to point out that there appears to be something consuming hydrogen on the surface (the concentration drops too quickly when going lower in the atmosphere), and we have no idea what does it. There are no known catalysts that could do this at these temperatures, and life has been suggested.

I'm sure that was the purpose.

But it's unnecessary from a modern perspective, IMO; only high tech, wealthy nations can exploit space, and those nations don't go to war with each other (not overtly anyway) anymore. It would be too destructive, and not worth it anyway.

Because there are, of course, no signs of military tension between the USA, Russia and China for example.

Seriously, not so long ago, both the US and China played at shooting down satellites to show they can, there is east Ukraine, the south China sea tensions, the sea of Japan tensions, US support to Taiwan, arguing about Libya, Syria and Iran.

We need the outer space treaty.

[Camacha]

I am pretty sure the clean rooms have more to do with (the fear of) dust and particles interfering with the craft operation and not with actually working under sterile conditions. They clean the craft of any life - or most of it at least - after they build the thing.

You could always stick the entire thing in a huge pot of boiling water...

They pretty much do, actually I always thought of it as a bit of a missed chance, since artificial panspermia might very well be the one thing left by humanity in the long run. Of course I do understand the problems with meddling with the very things you are trying to investigate and history has show that it typically is a very bad idea to fiddle with nature this way, but still.

Viking in an oven:

Edited December 11, 2014 by Camacha

[NERVAfan]

About life on Titan, I'd like to point out that there appears to be something consuming hydrogen on the surface (the concentration drops too quickly when going lower in the atmosphere), and we have no idea what does it. There are no known catalysts that could do this at these temperatures, and life has been suggested.

Yeah, I've read that too.

Because there are, of course, no signs of military tension between the USA, Russia and China for example.

Seriously, not so long ago, both the US and China played at shooting down satellites to show they can,

That's just demonstration of capabilities; doesn't imply actual hostility.

there is east Ukraine, the south China sea tensions, the sea of Japan tensions, US support to Taiwan, arguing about Libya, Syria and Iran.

Well, sure, there were plenty of tensions between the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War, and several proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam...) But it never turned into outright war between the US and Soviets.

And I think those tensions will mostly fade away over the next 20-30 years. Right now the people in power still remember the Cold War. In 20-30 years that generation will have retired.

EDIT: There's no really rational-self-interest reason for those tensions as US/China are so intertwined economically that either nation would harm itself by harming the other. IMO it's holdover "we have to support X country against Russia/China" cold war thinking, nothing to do with actual US interests.

Edited December 12, 2014 by NERVAfan

[kanelives]

NERVA I wonder if the genomic analysis of samples is something that would actually work on a probe. I'm trying to think of the ways I've prepared samples for sequencing and if that can be done on a probe, and in those conditions. I've only sent stuff out though, I might be getting some hands on sequencing experience this January though. It's an interesting idea, to say the least. If you did find new life their, every geneticist and biologist would be kicking themselves beyond belief if we didnt send a genome tester.

[NERVAfan]

NERVA I wonder if the genomic analysis of samples is something that would actually work on a probe. I'm trying to think of the ways I've prepared samples for sequencing and if that can be done on a probe, and in those conditions. I've only sent stuff out though, I might be getting some hands on sequencing experience this January though. It's an interesting idea, to say the least. If you did find new life their, every geneticist and biologist would be kicking themselves beyond belief if we didnt send a genome tester.

A very important question... which someone professional should really be looking into. (Seriously, why hasn't there been an actual attempt to find life on Mars from NASA since the 70s????)

It would probably be hard, but it is IMO critical to answer the question of whether it's transferred-from-Earth or a genuinely independent origin of life.

[78stonewobble]

I'm wondering just how many extremophiles there are, at NASA probe building / handling facilities.

Hmm... In any case, wouldn't the most obvious choice be to genetically engineer a bacteria that is easily killed in space (through radiation, lack of atmosphere or whatever) and eats extremophiles and then soak the probe in a bath of those?

[YNM]

Regarding the Outer Space Treaty Article IX and why then we need planetary protection : I think it's the interference. If you get a mission to seed some bodies, then there's another agency that's there to detect indigeneous life, it'd be a mess. So unless all humans agree to seed a body you can't just take some probes to do that.

Granted human is an ecosystem within by itself but then, we protect ourself from the surrounding harsh environment, no ? How'd they leave us ?

[NERVAfan]

Regarding the Outer Space Treaty Article IX and why then we need planetary protection : I think it's the interference. If you get a mission to seed some bodies, then there's another agency that's there to detect indigeneous life, it'd be a mess. So unless all humans agree to seed a body you can't just take some probes to do that.

That would have been a huge problem when the OST was written, and for e.g. the Viking experiments, but not really anymore; stuff like metagenomics can distinguish these days.

Also, it would be pretty improbable for any bacteria brought to spread across the planet in a short (decades) time scale.