Methodology is proposed to assess the probability that the planet Mars will be contaminated by terrestrial microorganisms aboard a spacecraft. The present NASA methods are extended to permit utilization of detailed information on microbial characteristics, the lethality of release and transport mechanisms, and of other information about the Martian environment. Different types of microbial release are distinguished, and for each release mechanism a probability of growth is computed. Using this new methodology, an assessment was carried out for the 1975 Viking landings on Mars. The resulting probability of contamination for each Viking lander is 6 x 10 to the -6 power, and is amenable to revision as additional information becomes available.
New methodology for assessing the probability of contaminating Mars
COSPAR Meeting ; 1974 ; Sao Paulo, Brazil
1974-06-21
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Modeling the probability of contaminating Europa
NTRS | 2018
|Incipient Failure Detection - The Detection of Certain Contaminating Processes
SAE Technical Papers | 1967
|Assessing Mars Curiosity Rover Wheel Damage
NTRS | 2022
|