While the rest of the world watched in awe as SpaceX launched Elon Musk’s prized Tesla Roadster to space, one person at NASA didn’t share their excitement.
Planetary protection officer Lisa Pratt slammed the private space firm over possible microbes in the car contaminating Mars as it makes its way through the emptiness of space. Should the car collide with the red planet, any bacteria aboard the vehicle could potentially wipe out any possible life in true “War of the Worlds” fashion.
Pratt, an astrobiologist, first applied for the position of “Planetary Protection Officer” back when the position was announced by NASA. While the lofty job mainly involved the prevention of an alien invasion, it also tasks her with preventing any contaminants from Earth making their way to other planets.
Having a “leave no trace” ethic when it comes to the solar system, Pratt isn’t thrilled by what Elon Musk has done. While budget space companies like SpaceX continue to make space travel affordable, she also wants them to do it in a sustainable way.
“We have to figure out how to work closely, how to move forward in a collaborative posture so we don’t have another red Roadster up there in orbit,” she said to NASA scientists in an off-the-cuff remark. “If there is an indigenous Mars biota, it’s at risk of being contaminated by terrestrial life.”
Pratt’s belief that there could be life on Mars doesn’t just stem from wishful thinking. A professor emeritus at Indiana University, she has been studying how microorganisms adapt to…
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