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Re: Martian Contamination
- To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
- Subject: Re: Martian Contamination
- From: Ron Baalke <BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>
- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 23:07:56 GMT
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- Resent-Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 19:09:42 -0400 (EDT)
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> On April 20, 1967, Surveyor III landed on the Moon. On November 20, 1969,
>Apollo 12 landed 300 feet away from it. The crew of Apollo 12 removed the
>camera from Surveyor III and placed it in a sterile bag for return to Earth.
Hi Peter,
In addition to the camera, the scoop attached the Surveyor's arm was
also returned. The scoop was returned to JPL and is currently on display
in one of our buildings, next to a Moon rock returned from one of the
other Apollo missions.
>Upon return to Earth it was discovered that the camera was contaminated with a
>species of Streptococcus mitis bacteria. These "earthlings" had survived for
>two and a half years in a vacuum with temperatures ranging from 101 to -181
>degrees Celsius. In addition the bacteria was exposed to cosmic ray
>bombardment.
Bacteria was found on the camera, and there has been some debate by the
scientists on whether the bacteria was inadvertantly carried to camera by the
Apollo astronauts (they did have to detach and handle the camera
prior to placement in the sterile bag) or if it did actually survive
on the lunar surface for the 2.5 years. I heard no clear resolution on
this.
Ron Baalke
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