Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by notatoad on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @10:45AM
(#16325164)
I've heard a few times today how radiation will peel the paint off the car. Shouldn't that also sanitize it pretty thoroughly?
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Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by dpkonofa on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @12:32PM
(#16326250)
I would imagine that the lack of any kind of food source for bacteria, freezing cold temperatures, and space radiation should be enough to sanitize the vehicle from anything from earth. We're not talking about organisms that thrive at the depths of the ocean or tardigrades (although I'm sure someone will bring them up). We're talking about molds and bacterias that grow in warm, damp places like car seats and dirty human crevices. I would be surprised if they lasted out there and would be giddy if it survived long enough to grow further. That's an experiment, right there.
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by Zardoz84 on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @10:47AM
(#16325181)
You could be surprise how resilient are the microbes against the harsh conditions of space.
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by NathanKP on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @10:49AM
(#16325205)
Yep these things can actually survive in the vacuum of space as well as go without food or water for 30 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by dpkonofa on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @12:34PM
(#16326269)
Yeah, but you're not going to find those in the stitching of a leather Tesla Roadster seat.
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by Balgair on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @11:31AM
(#16325585)
For other readers: yes the Tardigrade is likely to be resistant to the extreme radiation of the Mars-Earth voyage.
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by pbhjpbhj on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @12:35PM
(#16326278)
They'll be surfing the mycelial network before we know it :/
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by godelski on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @12:22PM
(#16326159)
There's enough places for microbes to hide from radiation. On that short of a mission it wouldn't be surprising to see microbes. There are various microbes that can withstand the nominal radiation there. Would be much harder to survive the Van Allen belts and CMEs, but it is possible. If we were talking about a 100 year mission, that would be more surprising. Even hardy microbes don't like extended stays in vacuums and have to go into a hibernation state. There are bacteria that can survive for decades in a vacuum and low temperatures.
Disclaimer: not a biologist
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by notatoad on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @01:16PM
(#16326670)
>On that short of a mission
how short? because i thought the timeline we're talking about is that the Roadster is not going to run into any planet for as long as they've run simulations for, but it's theoretically possible that it might, at some point, hit something.
Re:SpaceX craft overshot Mars’ orbit and is headed to astero...
by biggerfisch on Wednesday February 07, 2018 @10:48AM
(#16325199)
Some bacteria can survive very high levels of radiation. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans