NASA study: Life from Earth could survive on Mars, at least for a while - CNET

Scientists say some microbes from Earth could survive on Mars, at least temporarily, raising new problems and possibilities for future exploration of the red planet.

"Some microbes, in particular spores from the black mold fungus, were able to survive the trip, even when exposed to very high (ultraviolet) radiation," DLR's Marta Filipa Cortesão explained in a statement.

"With crewed long-term missions to Mars, we need to know how human-associated microorganisms would survive on the red planet, as some may pose a health risk to astronauts," says study co-author Katharina Siems from DLR.

It's also important to know what might be able to survive an interplanetary trip as we search for life on Mars, to avoid a false positive discovery of Martian mold that was really a stowaway on one of our spacecraft.

For the study, the team sent the microbes to the stratosphere inside a specially designed container called Marsbox (Microbes in Atmosphere for Radiation, Survival and Biological Outcomes experiment) that simulated the pressure and makeup of the Martian atmosphere.