Human microbes might be able to survive on the Moon’s South Pole. Here’s what that means for Artemis missions
NASA researchers have identified that human microbes could potentially survive in specific niches on the Moon's South Pole. This discovery raises concerns about biological contamination during upcoming Artemis missions and the difficulty of distinguishing human-introduced microbes from natural lunar chemistry.
Why it matters
As NASA prepares for lunar base development, understanding microbial survival is critical for planetary protection and ensuring the integrity of future scientific research on the Moon.
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email NASA / NASA A portion of the eastern edge of the South Pole of the moon's Aitken basin, as captured by the Artemis II crew. As soon as later this year, NASA could begin the development of its lunar base . The early missions are expected to be uncrewed, but when humans eventually do return to the moon's South Pole, they'll bring billions of microorganisms with them.
New research indicates those microorganisms, or microbes, could survive on parts of the moon's South Pole. A paper published this week in Science Advances by NASA researchers, including one from Houston's Johnson Space Center, found certain "survivable niches" for those microbes on the southernmost portion of the moon.
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