Contamination?

[Dude_Doc]

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/09/14/galileo.ap/index.html

I just don't understand. Contamination? Wouldn't they be destroyed in the crash or something? Or, are NASA hiding something?

[Andrew]

The intentional crash will be the first since 1999, when NASA plowed the Lunar Prospector orbiter into the moon. In 1994, NASA crashed the Magellan orbiter into Venus. Satellites routinely crash to Earth, as NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory did in 2000.

Recent research has revealed the tenacity of microbial life and its ability to resist extremes of temperature and radiation. Even though Galileo has been buffeted by both, its shielded innards likely harbor viable microbes.

I think we are actally at war with these planets and they are dropping bombs on them.(including earth, which is hitting life forms from other planets) They say they don't want to hit the moon, but they actually want to hit Jupiter.

;) ;)

[Dude_Doc]

Yeah, that's probably why. ::)

No, really. What contamination? Are they afraid of the microbes evolving into another spicies there or what?

[Babylon]

No, just that the microbes would survive. That way if they would investigate Europe for live forms they would at least find our microbes. That way they will not be able to easily reconize original Europe life. Which will give the critics a field day.

[Egeides]

In fact, they have makers in it comign from Mars.

[Tio_Holtzmann]

makes you wonder bout the apollo missions, maybe the lunar landers and saturn 5 stages were contaminated and in a few years time the moons gonna go green with algae or something mwahahahahaha

[Dude_Doc]

No really. Holzwoman has a point here. Isn't Mars going to be "contaminated" by the, say, Viking-missions?

[Babylon]

They did clean those before launch. The didn't clean Galileo because they planned it to stay in orbit of Jupiter indefinitly. I can't see why they didn't clean it. It's just a little effort.

[VigilVirus]

Let it crash I say. We would be the creators of new life, it is sure to evolve into complex organisms if the conditions are right.

[Anathema]

The problem is that if we take samples from Europa in the future and we'd run into signs of "alien" life while it's just Earthish bacteria we left behind. Plus, some of the bacteria on Earth might be more adept to survive in such conditions so it would dominate Europa and drive the native lifeforms to extermination.

[Babylon]

The problem is that if we take samples from Europa in the future and we'd run into signs of "alien" life while it's just Earthish bacteria we left behind. Plus, some of the bacteria on Earth might be more adept to survive in such conditions so it would dominate Europa and drive the native lifeforms to extermination.

Exactly what I was going to post :).

I love Europe for his potential, let's please not ruin it.

[Dude_Doc]

Ghosh they got weeny about Europe all of a sudden...

[Sardauker-Kirov]

They're scared that SARS or humanity's evil side might spring on Europe and cause EVIIIIIILLLLLLLL *echo*

[Tio_Holtzmann]

ok please stop calling it europe, you're confusing and annoying me.

europA!

they dont want to crash it cos they think it might harbour life under its icy surface. fair enough i say. plus it's actually more fun to accelerate a satellite into a planet at 108000 miles a hour. ; :D

[VigilVirus]

Yes, let's destroy europe...I mean europa...on second thought, I think I meant europe ;D

[Babylon]

My problem is that the continent Europe in Dutch is Europa. The moon too, so naturally I translate the name of the moon too. :)