[meteorite-list] sterilizing that probe...!

From: Dave Harris <entropydave_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:44 2004
Message-ID: <40442EFC.00000A.06408_at_D500>

Hi,
Somewhat off-topic I know but... I have been trying to figure out how one
can sterilize these various Mars probes, knowing how tenacious life can seem
to be.
Surely NASA cannot be seen to contaminate the (potential) Martian biosphere
 and there is a lot of hardware that needs to be quite literally 100%
sterile - otherwise, how would one know whether or not the signatures of
life that may be found were not terrestrial in origin?
How on Earth does one sterilize Mylar, for example?

Unknowledgebly yours



dave

IMCA #0092
Received on Tue 02 Mar 2004 01:51:40 AM PST