"a425couple"-a wrote in message news:Yz2LR.867599$DN1.339445@fx48.iad...
NASA found fungal strains that survive even its most stringent
sterilization efforts, suggesting Earth microbes may already be living
on Mars.
---------------------------------
NASA has to balance sterilization conditions with survival of the
delicate instruments. The more effective chemicals like ozone and
chlorine dioxide are corrosive. They sterilize at 125C, the top of the military range, which is above boiling and at or slightly above pressure cooking temperature. 80C is usually assumed to sterilize food, usually
65C is considered adequate.
125C is the high end of the heat tolerance for electronics. Some simpler parts can handle 150C. I've worked in the testing field and have made a transistor fail in a few minutes by operating it at 180C. High
temperature shortens component life and is used to estimate and test
long predicted lifetimes, but heat stressing the parts you intend to use
can degrade them, so it's done on small representative batches of a production run.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_life_testing
Autoclaves that sterilize medical instruments operate between 121C and
135C.
https://tuttnauer.com/knowledge-center/sterile-processing/autoclave/ autoclave-temperature-range-for-effective-sterilization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_temperature
from https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fungal-strains-space-spark-worry-112456504.html
Fungal strains in space spark worry
Tom Chivers
Thu, May 7, 2026 at 4:24 AM PDT
1 min read
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NASA found fungal strains that survive even its most stringent
sterilization efforts, suggesting Earth microbes may already be living
on Mars.
When exploring worlds which could plausibly harbor life rCo Enceladus, Europa, Mars, Titan rCo space agencies employ protocols to prevent Earth-based microbes contaminating any biology elsewhere.
The existence of near-unkillable fungi makes future Mars rover
missions more fraught and past ones potential seeds of terrestrial
life on the red planet. Titan may likewise be compromised: When
visited by the Cassini-Huygens orbiter in 2004, no one realized
SaturnrCOs moon had liquid oceans and was thus a promising candidate for life, so the probe was not fully sterilized. The little spacecraft
rCLmight be seeding life,rCY a mission scientist told FlagshiprCOs Tom in 2017.
This is significant because it also affects how returned samples must be treated and handled.
"Jim Wilkins"-a wrote in message news:10tkmb5$2sooi$1@dont-email.me...
This is significant because it also affects how returned samples must
be treated and handled.
In brief, we can't sterilize a sample that cost billions until we learn
that we must.
Have we already been infected and developed immunity? https://www.space.com/mars-meteorites-on-earth-mystery
"Meteorites from a variety of sources have been discovered across
Earth's surface for thousands of years, but Mars wasn't suggested as a possible source of this bombardment until the 1970s when measurements of
the Martian atmosphere made by NASA's Viking orbiters were found to
match gases locked in these space rocks."
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10tkmb5$2sooi$1@dont-email.me...
This is significant because it also affects how returned samples must be
treated and handled.
In brief, we can't sterilize a sample that cost billions until we learn
that we must.
Have we already been infected and developed immunity? https://www.space.com/mars-meteorites-on-earth-mystery
"Meteorites from a variety of sources have been discovered across Earth's surface for thousands of years, but Mars wasn't suggested as a possible source of this bombardment until the 1970s when measurements of the
Martian atmosphere made by NASA's Viking orbiters were found to match
gases locked in these space rocks."
Le 2026-05-08 |a 10:58, Jim Wilkins a |-crit-a:
"Jim Wilkins"-a wrote in message news:10tkmb5$2sooi$1@dont-email.me...And, we can assume that rocks from the Earth made their way to Mars, as
This is significant because it also affects how returned samples must
be treated and handled.
In brief, we can't sterilize a sample that cost billions until we
learn that we must.
Have we already been infected and developed immunity?
https://www.space.com/mars-meteorites-on-earth-mystery
"Meteorites from a variety of sources have been discovered across
Earth's surface for thousands of years, but Mars wasn't suggested as a
possible source of this bombardment until the 1970s when measurements
of the Martian atmosphere made by NASA's Viking orbiters were found to
match gases locked in these space rocks."
well as Jovian moons.
Le 2026-05-08 |a 10:58, Jim Wilkins a |-crit :
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10tkmb5$2sooi$1@dont-email.me...And, we can assume that rocks from the Earth made their way to Mars, as
This is significant because it also affects how returned samples must be >>> treated and handled.
In brief, we can't sterilize a sample that cost billions until we learn
that we must.
Have we already been infected and developed immunity?
https://www.space.com/mars-meteorites-on-earth-mystery
"Meteorites from a variety of sources have been discovered across Earth's >> surface for thousands of years, but Mars wasn't suggested as a possible
source of this bombardment until the 1970s when measurements of the
Martian atmosphere made by NASA's Viking orbiters were found to match
gases locked in these space rocks."
well as Jovian moons.
Le 2026-05-08 |a 10:58, Jim Wilkins a |-crit :I had some doubts because of our now thick atmosphere,
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10tkmb5$2sooi$1@dont-email.me...
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