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Chris McKay
NASA Ames Research Center



Reconstructed Martian oceans
It's possible that at sometime in the near future, we may be able to recreate the oceans that Mars once had. If a second, independent genesis of life ever existed on Mars, and if it survives now, even in a dormant state, it is entirely possible we could once again recreate a Mars full of Martians.






July 31, 2006

Part XI: Astrobiology

Biology and the Future of Mars
Christopher P. McKay
NASA Ames Research Center
15 min. (slideshow requires QCShow Player)
Audio only (mp3 format)
View as a webpage (quicktime, real player) (notes)

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.
— Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

It may well become possible that at some time in the future we will be capable of recreating a habitable climate on Mars, returning it to the life-bearing state it may have enjoyed early in its history. What we know of Mars is still in a preliminary state, but everything we've learned suggests that it may be possible to restore Mars to a habitable climate.

Serious studies of planetary ecosynthesis on Mars began after the results of the Viking mission indicated that all the compounds needed for life were present on the surface of Mars in some accessible form.

The most recent work has focused on the use of climate models to compute the timescales to warm Mars. Although these ideas lie somewhat in the future, planetary ecosynthesis on Mars has implications for the objectives and conduct of our current robotic and human explorations. In particular the question of forward contamination must be considered in a new way if we wish to control the introduction of life to Mars in advance of planetary ecosynthesis.

From what we have measured in situ on Mars and what we have learned from our experiments in simulators, Mars is currently so hostile to Earthly life that even Earth's most lowly forms, the bacteria, cannot survive on its surface. Because of this, we're offered the possibility of what McKay describes as "the biologically reversible exploration of Mars." At the moment, we don't have to absolutely sterilize everything we send to Mars. Indeed, it's not even possible. But it appears that that's all right. Whatever organisms might have attached themselves to our spacecraft cannot grow or survive on the Martian surface as it is now.

But that may change in the future.

Life is the most amazing phenomenon we know. Intellectually, the study of life on Earth represents our most important and challenging science, but life is more than that. The celebration of life also forms the core of our spirituality. We celebrate life with great joy at its birth, mourn its death with extraordinary sadness and diligently work to preserve its diversity.

Mars may well have fostered a second genesis of life in this solar system, and someday we may well be offered the opportunity to not only preserve this second genesis if it exists, but to cause that second genesis to flourish once again, recreating a wet, warm Mars full of Martians. McKay asks, "Why should we do this?" The answers he provides are these:

  • Our fundamental ethical principles are related to the value of life and the value of diversity in life.

  • There will be a profound utilitarian benefit that will come from the direct study of the evolution of a form of life different than our own.

  • Restoring life and biosphere to a dead world is a worthy goal for a space-faring people.

— Wirt Atmar


About the Speaker

Chris McKay is a planetary scientist with the Space Science Division of NASA Ames Research Center. He received his Ph.D. in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado in 1982 and has been a research scientist with the NASA Ames since that time.

Dr. McKay is one of the world's leading researchers studying Titan, and has been involved in numerical modeling of planetary atmospheres for many years. He is currently working on models of Titan's thick atmosphere in support of the joint NASA/ESA mission to the Saturn system. Dr. McKay is co-Investigator on the Titan probe atmospheric structure experiment (HASI). His broader interests focus on understanding the relationship between the chemical and physical evolution of the solar system and the origin of life.

He has been actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human settlements. Chris has also been involved with polar research since 1980, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys and more recently to the Siberian Arctic to conduct research in these Mars-like environments.

All of his work centers around his primary research interests: the origin of life on Earth and the possibility that life might have originated on other planets as well.

Dr. McKay is a recipient of the prestigious Kuiper Award from the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society for his contributions.


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