Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

Rxke · 2003-11-14 03:21:42

Spacedaily article
We all know things didn't turn out very well with the poor thing, it lost it's power, missed a rendezvous etc... With a lot of wriggling an Mc Gyvering of the Japanese controllers it's finally approaching the red planet.
But... the crippled craft is currently on an *impact trajectory* with Mars and there's no guarantee groundcontrollers will be able in time to start it's engine to go into orbit...
Since Nozomi was to be an orbiter, there was virtually no sterilizing done on the craft. It is potentially at risk to contaminate Mars.

Hmmm... with a bit of 'luck,' terraforming might take place a bit earlier than envisioned...

Palomar · 2003-11-14 07:14:15

Spacedaily article
We all know things didn't turn out very well with the poor thing, it lost it's power, missed a rendezvous etc... With a lot of wriggling an Mc Gyvering of the Japanese controllers it's finally approaching the red planet.
But... the crippled craft is currently on an *impact trajectory* with Mars and there's no guarantee groundcontrollers will be able in time to start it's engine to go into orbit...
Since Nozomi was to be an orbiter, there was virtually no sterilizing done on the craft. It is potentially at risk to contaminate Mars.
Hmmm... with a bit of 'luck,' terraforming might take place a bit earlier than envisioned...

*Hmmmmm. When I click on the link you provide, a mostly-blank web page comes up, along with some advertisements.

Yes, I've been keeping a watch for articles on Nozomi. This isn't the only probe Japan is having problems with; I can't remember the name or what specifically its mission is to be (I was going to copy and paste the article that day, which turned very hectic and I forgot)...but they are having a lot of problems with yet another space mission.

Japan was so cutting-edge ala technology (and capitalism) in the 1980s and early 1990s; as if they could not make any mistakes and all was very peachy for them. Suddenly their economy takes a tremendous nose dive (anyone else here remember all the choice real estate and businesses they were plucking up left and right here in the U.S., 10 - 15 years ago? It had many Americans worried and resentful), it seems their space missions are ailing rather badly. It's weird.

I certainly wish them better luck with their future space-exploration endeavors.

--Cindy

Rxke · 2003-11-14 08:04:48

Spacedaily is a bit slow to load sometimes... (Australia)
I tried it myself to doublecheck, and it seems to load now, i'm in europe, so maybe that doesn't say a thing for connection of routers to your place...

(don't you just *hate* it when slow pages load, it's always the ads that load first? If it was not for the fact that i like that site so much, i'd be quite angry, sometimes)

I read the Nozomi thread, but i thought, because of the potential environmental impact (no pun intended) it was ok to put up here...

Wim · 2003-11-15 12:54:02

14 November 2003
News reports that Nozomi -- Japan's first mission to another planet -- is on course to crash into Mars have been exaggerated. The probability of Japan's first Mars mission hitting the Red Planet even without the planned trajectory corrections, which are standard operating procedures on all missions, is 1%, according to Hajime Hayakawa, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

taken from Planetary Society website.

Thoughts on this anyone ?

Rxke · 2003-11-15 13:03:51

Martian citizens, after reading this, collecively heave a huge sigh of relief... :laugh:

Shaun Barrett · 2003-11-18 02:29:07

It doesn't matter much about introducing terrestrial micro-organisms into the Martian soil if Nozomi crashes onto Mars.
The Russians beat the Japanese to it about 40 years ago when they were crashing completely unsterilised probes onto the Red Planet in a hurried effort to outdo the Americans.

Rxke's comment about terraforming taking place "a bit earlier than envisioned...", might be quite an understatement!!

Enyo · 2003-11-18 03:58:46

From what I understand Nozomi has a very slim chance of hitting Mars. Something on the order of 1 to 2 percent. Even without it's main thruster it can steer with it's attitude control thrusters.

But it is rumored that Zond 2 crashed on Mars and possibly Mars 1. Both were unsterilized Soviet orbiters.

Wim · 2003-11-18 05:12:32

Indeed, some lost probes to Mars crashed into it unsterilized and probably if the next probes (MERS, Express, ...) do find some algea or some sort of primitive microlife, there will be discussions wether they're from earth (Russia) or not.
Does anybody have any links to articles on unsterilized probes crashing into the red neighbour ?

Earthman · 2003-12-14 15:43:45

Wow I found my people! Yes we did put life on Mars and it is doing quite well! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Earthman · 2003-12-14 15:48:11

NASA scientists agreed with me. Even the sterilized crashes put life on Mars. Someone had to have published about it. I'm very excited about this, help us out superbrains!

Earthfirst · 2004-02-02 14:14:22

Even if there was little life hiding on some probes the condiction on mars are just harsh, but if terriforming started and life started appearing that was not put then it might just from some old prob.

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2003-11-14 03:21:42

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#2 2003-11-14 07:14:15

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#3 2003-11-14 08:04:48

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#4 2003-11-15 12:54:02

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#5 2003-11-15 13:03:51

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#6 2003-11-18 02:29:07

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#7 2003-11-18 03:58:46

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#8 2003-11-18 05:12:32

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#9 2003-12-14 15:43:45

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#10 2003-12-14 15:48:11

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

#11 2004-02-02 14:14:22

Re: Nozomi might contaminate Mars - since it was not sterilized

Board footer