# NASA: Uh, We Might Have Gotten Some Microbes on Mars. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465 "2005-06-01T23:40:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/1 "2005-06-01T23:40:36Z")
[Thanks to the cock up with the Mars Polar Lander.](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050601_mpl_clues.html) > [@](#): > > “The failure of the Mars Polar Lander spacecraft,” Rummel explained, “may have contributed limited numbers of Earth microbes to the martian environment,” > > “So establishing the location of the crash site is an important thing to do to ensure that MPL-associated microbes – even the dead ones – are not mistaken as Mars life by future explorers, and that we know where any future remediation efforts can be focused if they prove necessary to our future on the planet,” Rummel said. Of course, let’s not forget the possibility that Earth and Mars might have exchanged microbes via meteorite impacts since shortly after the two planets formed. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/2 "2005-06-02T01:17:40Z")
Yeah, but that’s huge ammunition for all the doubting Thomases. There’s gonna be a mental asterisk whenever something more definitive is discovered. By the way, I just noticed you’re a Gallatian. I’m in Hendersonville, right up the road. Yay for Middle Tennessee! ---
**Author:** ![goBigRick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@goBigRick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goBigRick)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/3 "2005-06-02T04:40:31Z")
And I am from Jackson/Cookeville Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/4 "2005-06-02T16:38:15Z")
Earthlings: “You got your Mars-Germs on my Earth!” Martians: “You got your Earth-Germs on my Mars” Both: “Where’s my anti-cootie spray?!?!1” ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/5 "2005-06-02T16:52:03Z")
Mars: I’m tellllllllling! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/6 "2005-06-02T17:17:55Z")
If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll find microbes on Mars that are so different from Earth microbes that there will be little doubt they evolved separately from Earth for a long period of time. Otherwise, I guess they’ll always be some doubt. That sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/7 "2005-06-02T17:32:22Z")
On the bright side, with a little luck, terraforming started yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/8 "2005-06-02T17:35:14Z")
The mars microbes will probably make the earth microbes move to “that” side of the planet and use separate water fountains and not let them swim in the martina microbe pools. That always happens to our microbes when they try to better their situation. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/9 "2005-06-02T17:35:37Z")
There goes the neighborhood! ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/10 "2005-06-02T17:36:57Z")
PREVIEW you big idiot!!! Martian microbe pools. It’s so simple, you could just remember it instead of being impulsive and submitting before you read. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/11 "2005-06-02T17:42:36Z")
> [@mr bus guy](#): > > PREVIEW you big idiot!!! > > Martian microbe pools. > > It’s so simple, you could just remember it instead of being impulsive and submitting before you read. No prob. I just thought that you had too many Martian Microbe Martinis. 😉😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-uh-we-might-have-gotten-some-microbes-on-mars/306465/12 "2005-06-02T17:43:19Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > terraforming started yesterday. Cool.