Curiosity doesn't meet cleanliness standards

[spuwho]

Due to a mishandling on Earth, not all parts of Curiosity have been cleared to touch and have any interfaces with subterranean water. This presents a dilemma as the robot has approached what appears to be an ancient waterbed.


Any passing of earth bound microbes in the Martian ecosystem could be catastrophic if left unmanaged.

NASA has a person specifically assigned to protect other celestial bodies from infection.

Per Aviation Week:

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_01_21_2013_p31-537062.xml

An apparent lack of rigor in maintaining cleanliness on the Curiosity rover while it was being assembled may one day force a hiatus in its use to explore Mars, if its instruments detect the possibility that life-supporting water exists nearby.

NASA's planetary protection officer, the scientist in charge of ensuring U.S. terrestrial probes do not contaminate celestial bodies, certified Curiosity for landing only because it was targeted on an equatorial crater that is unlikely to harbor subsurface water. Had planetary scientists chosen another landing site, mishandling of the rover's wheels and drill bits on Earth might have forced a two-year slip in launching until the next planetary window.

NASA officials, including Planetary Protection Officer Catharine Conley, stress that Curiosity is “fully compliant” with international protocols dating back to the Viking missions. Those standards were designed to ensure that any life found on Mars originated there, and did not arrive on the lander that found it or an earlier robotic visitor from Earth.

However, if Curiosity turns up evidence of contemporary water or ice as it explores Gale Crater, it may be commanded to back off from the potentially life-sustaining area while astrobiologists and planetary scientists ponder whether the rover could “forward contaminate” Mars.

[Jason]

IMO, why not "forward contaminate"?  It would certainly tell us if Mars is currently capable of supporting life.  To me, that is more important than knowing if life once existed.

[BridgeTroll]

I'm not sure what to make of the article. First it say..."An apparent lack of rigor in maintaining cleanliness on the Curiosity rover while it was being assembled".  Then in the next paragraph..."NASA officials, including Planetary Protection Officer Catharine Conley, stress that Curiosity is “fully compliant” with international protocols dating back to the Viking missions. "

Besides... Mars may already be contaminated via meteor... same holds true for earth.  If microbes are found on Mars... how would we know they are truly "martian" in origin?

[Jason]

I say the next probe should dump a bag of yeast in the first bit of water it can find and watch it to see what happens. 

[BridgeTroll]

I say the next probe should dump a bag of yeast in the first bit of water it can find and watch it to see what happens. 

There is a plan already...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars

[BridgeTroll]

http://www.youtube.com/v/O5k0MtlWPOs

[Jason]

Very cool video!