News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Project at the Boca Chica Launch Site. Parent comment

Re:SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Project at the Boca Chica Lau... by pjc50 on Thursday October 26, 2023 @05:12AM (#38023412)
The first human landing on Mars destroys a large section of Mars science forever, because then we can no longer be sure if life traces we find there are indigenous or not.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Project at the Boca Chica Lau... by ramraj07 on Thursday October 26, 2023 @05:26AM (#38023487)
Slight nuance. We can most definitely tell if a life source you find there is from mars or not - assuming it has the same dna backbone, sequence comparison can tell exactly when life diverged into the two planets (as it likely did if mars ever had life).

The real danger is that life forms hitchhiking the first humans can totally overwhelm any existing life and completely condemn it.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Project at the Boca Chica Lau... by m4jor on Thursday October 26, 2023 @07:45AM (#38024300)
I'm pretty sure that changes nothing and we can still be absolutely sure what we find there is indigenous or not.
[ Parent | on HN ]