Moon Missions May Introduce Harmful Earth Microbes to the Lunar Surface

The moon might endure far longer than previously thought, raising the concern of contaminating its surface before future lunar missions take place.

Space missions are required to follow the “Planetary Protection” policy, ensuring that microorganisms from Earth do not contaminate other celestial bodies.

Unlike Earth, where protective measures such as the atmosphere and magnetic fields exist, the moon’s surface faces intense high-energy particles from space, extreme temperatures, and harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, making it a harsh habitat for surviving organisms.

As a result, many astronomers classify the moon’s surface as inherently barren. The Space Research Committee ranks it in the second lowest category of planetary protection, alongside Venus and comets, indicating that “spacecraft-mediated contamination could compromise investigations.”

Nonetheless, new findings from Stefano Bertone of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and colleagues indicate that in certain areas near the moon’s poles, which are set to be visited by NASA’s upcoming Artemis Mission, life might survive for several days, possibly over a week. This heightens the risk of contaminating these zones and generating misleading results in the search for extraterrestrial life.

“We’re returning to the moon, leaving traces behind. We need to study what kinds of traces we’re leaving and how to minimize them,” Bertone remarked at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) in Helsinki, Finland, on September 12th.

Bertone and his team discovered five microbial species that show resilience to harsh environments, including black mold (Aspergillus niger) and bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. They assessed how much ultraviolet radiation these organisms could withstand in their laboratory. They compiled data concerning UV levels on the moon’s surface, sunlight exposure, and temperature fluctuations, which allowed them to create a map indicating where these five organisms could survive for at least one day.

All living organisms can endure well-lit areas outside the permanently shadowed regions where sunlight and ultraviolet rays are absent, making these bright zones prime candidates for lunar exploration. The black mold exhibited the highest resilience, surviving in extensive areas for up to seven days.

“This is a significant study that clearly shows if there’s a risk of contamination, then certain actions need to be taken. However, we must also recognize that these actions have economic implications,” stated Stas Barabash from the Swedish Institute of Astrophysics. For instance, space agencies might decide that equipment requires more thorough sterilization, which could increase mission costs.

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