4 ms·

Plenty of bacteria have survived going into LEO in recent decades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_microorganisms_tested_in_outer_space https://en.wikipe

• Retric 8y ago
  Not the same thing. Those are generally protected from direct exposure to sunlight. That said some bacteria are reasonably resistant to UV. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5483449/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5483449/
  • ddebernardy 8y ago
    As I understood these were actually bacteria that were observed to have survived being in space, as in on the external surface of satellites and shuttles, or extreme-like conditions. One problem related to detecting life on other planets is that a number of bacteria are suspected to be able to survive the whole trip to whichever planet or space object we send a probe to. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/bacteria-in-space/520908/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/bacteria...
    • Retric 8y ago
      That’s true, but not on all surfaces. The back side of solar panels for example don’t receive direct sunlight. But, even a bolt will provide plenty of shade for bacteria. Plenty of nooks and crannies to go around. Space qualified lubricants can even provide a growth medium. Anyway, my original point was more in line with this. “Our results predict that most terrestrial bacteria would be inactivated within the first [day] on Mars if contaminated spacecraft surfaces receive direct sunlight.” And remember Mars gets far less sunlight than earth.