Bacteria from Earth are able to colonize Mars

^{The bacterial spores of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 showed a survival rate of 10-40% after 18 months in open space (in the shade), and in the simulation of Martian conditions, the survival rate was 85-100% (in the shade)}

Terrestrial bacteria can quickly colonize the surface of Mars or another planet, according to the results of experiments conducted on the International Space Station. This study is not part of the plan to terraform the Red Planet. Quite the contrary, scientists are looking for ways to prevent biological pollution.

It is almost impossible to remove all biological traces from equipment before interplanetary travel. Today, every spacecraft that flies to Mars or another planet must meet certain standards for the maximum allowable bioburden (that is, the number of microorganisms). To increase the efficiency of sanitization, you need to know exactly which organisms can survive on the surface of another planet.

Three experiments were conducted, including those outside the ISS in the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) module.
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Experiments have shown that some bacteria tolerate the conditions of interplanetary flights better than previously thought. The special interest of researchers was caused by bacteria capable of forming spores (protective shells under stress conditions): they are especially resistant to the applied sterilization methods, such as UV irradiation and hydrogen peroxide treatment. The greatest survivability was shown by the spores of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 , shown in the photo above. While ordinary disputes survive under Martian conditions under solar radiation for 30 seconds, this manages to live for 30 minutes.

In one experiment, the spores of the bacterium Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 for one and a half years were left in open space in the EuTEF module. To the surprise of scientists, after 18 months, some of them survived. Survivors of spores noticed the highest concentration of superoxide dismutase, a protein designed to protect against UV.

The spores of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 showed a survival rate of 10-40% after 18 months in darkened areas of EuTEF, and in the simulation of Martian conditions in the dark, the survival rate was 85-100% after the same 18 months.

The authors of the study emphasize that an increased concentration of protective protein was observed after the revival of surviving bacteria on Earth and re-sporulation.