Craters at the moon’s south pole may harbor microbial life, NASA scientists say. These microbes may have come from Earth and arrived on the Moon via lunar landers. Microbial life may exist in the ice craters at the south pole of the moon, because these areas are kept in darkness all year round, away from the sun’s harmful radiation, making them safe havens for microorganisms. Past research has shown that some microbes are surprisingly resistant to these conditions. Although there may be no microorganisms on the moon at present, if humans land on the moon, these microorganisms are likely to survive, grow and multiply on the moon. This has important implications for exploring the possibility of life on the moon.
Image credit: NASA
Compared to Earth, the Moon is a barren place, devoid of flowing water, thin clouds, and signs of life. However, a NASA scientist believes that the situation on the moon is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Prabal Saxena, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said microbial life may exist in harsh environments like those on the moon. According to Space.com, Prabal Saxena said: “There may be potentially habitable environments on some non-atmospheric bodies.” These lunar microbes, if they exist, are likely to have originated from Earth and smuggled up by lunar landers .
Image credit: NASA
Saxena studies the possibility of extraterrestrial life in the outer solar system, but recently, he’s been working with a team to focus even closer – the “South Pole of the Moon”. The lunar south pole has received a lot of attention in recent years, as NASA hopes to send the Artemis 3 crew there in 2025. NASA has identified 13 potential landing sites, and humans have never set foot on the south pole of the moon. But we know from NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, a lunar mineralogy instrument, that its craters contain ice that astronauts can mine for rocket fuel.
Image credit: NASA
Some areas of these craters are in permanent darkness, constantly shrouded in shadow. As a result, the sun’s harmful radiation never touches these lunar craters, which could serve as sanctuaries for microbes. “Importantly, recent studies on the ability of microbes to survive the conditions experienced in certain regions of the lunar surface have shown that many microbes are surprisingly resilient to these conditions,” Saxena said in the recent study, as reported by Leonard David in Inside Outer Space. resistance.” For example, the researchers found that a bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans survived for a year outside the International Space Station. Tardigrades have also survived exposure to the extreme conditions of space on the exterior of the International Space Station.
Image credit: SpaceX Starship at NASA Artemis Base Camp by ICON
Saxena told Space.com: “We are currently studying which specific organisms may be most suitable to survive in these areas.” Even if microbes do not exist on the moon right now, if humans start to operate on its surface, they will almost certainly appear. If Saxena and his team are correct, these microbes could not only survive, but potentially grow and multiply in these permanently dark craters.
Source: INSIDER