NASA needs to start work now to prepare for the arrival of the first soil
sample from Mars. It has to solve two conflicting demands—protecting the
sample from contamination and protecting the Earth in the unlikely event that it
harbours alien microbes.
In about a dozen years from now, a NASA mission will finally give earthbound
researchers a chance to look for signs of Martian life. Labs on Earth can
perform much more detailed tests than robotic space probes visiting the Red
Planet.
A 1997 report from the US National Research Council said Martian samples
should be delivered to…
