Researchers Find Fungus Surviving in NASA Clean Rooms
Newser • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers discovered the fungus Aspergillus calidoustus in NASA clean rooms used for Mars mission assembly, finding its spores highly resistant to extreme conditions simulating space and the Martian environment.
- The spores survived intense neutron radiation, high heat of 125°C, UV radiation, and low pressure, even gaining some protection from simulated Martian soil.
- These findings suggest current sterilization protocols, primarily targeting bacteria, may be insufficient to prevent fungal contamination on Mars, raising planetary protection concerns.
- The study proposes using this fungus as a model to develop more robust decontamination methods applicable not only to space missions but also to industries like pharmaceuticals and food safety.
- Researchers emphasize that while contamination of Mars is not necessarily imminent, understanding microbial resilience helps better assess potential survival risks in extraterrestrial environments.
