Scientists have been convinced for years that Earth shouldn’t be the only place where life can thrive, even in its most primitive forms. Live bacteria of unknown origin have been discovered on the surface of the International Space Station (ISS).
What has puzzled mission members is that these bacteria were absent during the mission launch ; that is, this fact suggests that its origin might not be the Earth.
Although there are other possible explanations for its existence.
The first proof of extraterrestrial life?
Let’s not rush. This is not the first time that Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, claims to have found evidence of microbes on the outside of the ISS, but all previous discoveries ended up having a terrestrial origin.
In early 2017, Russian astronauts detailed the findings of an extensive experiment that lasted between 2010 and 2016, in which several different microorganisms were sampled, including a type of bacterial marine plankton and a type of soil microbe found generally on the island of Madagascar.
And, in the latter case, it is possible that a similar explanation, although it may not seem the simplest, is also the most likely.
The most likely explanation
How do these terrestrial and marine organisms get into space? Most likely, the presence of these bacteria there is explained by a phenomenon called ionospheric uplift , by which rising air currents transport matter from anywhere on Earth to higher levels in its atmosphere.
It is also likely that the outside of the station was accidentally contaminated by a human team , this fact being ignored by the analysis and security measures. A very feasible hypothesis, given the number of astronauts that have lived inside the space facility over the years.
Of course, the explanation that the bacteria came from somewhere in outer space is also possible. But it is not the most likely. And, until they are analyzed and their origin is determined, it is advisable to be cautious.
Russian astronaut Anton Shkaplerov has stated that these bacteria, in almost all probability, do not represent any kind of danger.
During the spacewalks of the International Space Station under the Russian program, astronauts collected samples with cotton swabs from the outer surface of the station. In particular, they took probes from places where the accumulation of fuel waste was discharged during the operation of the engines or in places where the surface of the station is darker.
The samples obtained by the astronauts revealed bacteria that were absent during the launch of the module.
Some terrestrial bacteria also survived on the outer surface of the station , although they remained within a space vacuum for three years. On top of that, they experienced sudden changes in temperature from minus 150 to over 150 degrees Celsius. A good opportunity, on the other hand, to study how organic material behaves in outer space.
