The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Jan Spacek will present the topic and will be joined by Paul Davies and Sara Walker.
January 2024 Webinar- NASA: Mars likely has an active biosphere but it is up to private organizations to find it
Our current trajectory involves NASA's plans for human Mars missions before 2040, while SpaceX and China aim for human presence on Mars within a decade. The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and NASA stated that crewed exploration of Mars will inevitably lead to exchange of biological material between Earth and Mars. The exchange would occur in both directions if Mars harbors the extant life, a possibility that NASA believes in. This believe evident from literature is underscored by its multi-billion investment in the Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Facility biosafety. This facility's completion is, however, scheduled after the planned SpaceX and Chinese crews are returned from Mars and just before NASA's own expedition. Curiously, no organization, including NASA, actively seeks extant Martian life now nor plan to do so in foreseeable future. Moreover, the timeframe to develop new astrobiological missions, as per NASA's traditional approach, spans approximately two decades—time we no longer have.
In my talk, I will briefly discuss the potential for the existence of Martian biosphere, the risks associated with the contact of the biospheres and why is NASA not searching for it. The talk will focus on the strategies to find and study living Martians, irrespective of NASA's involvement and before humans walk on Mars.
Please submit any advance questions to deepthought@asu.edu or you can also submit them during the webinar!