Study finds Earth microbes could survive in lunar south pole
A new study compared laboratory survivability data for three bacteria and two fungi commonly found on crewed missions with lunar south pole maps and in situ radiation readings from RADOM and LRO CRaTER. The authors found permanently shaded polar niches with low ultraviolet, low temperatures and reduced energetic particle flux that could allow some Earth microbes to survive in a cryptobiotic state for at least one Earth day. The paper warns survival does not mean growth, but it raises contamination concerns for future lunar bases and for distinguishing ancient lunar chemistry or past Earth material preserved at the poles.
Some Earth microbes could survive in lunar south pole shadows.
Context
Scientists matched microbe survival tests with lunar maps and radiation data. They found shaded polar areas could let microbes survive in cryptobiosis. Missions may need stricter contamination controls next.
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