It would be a shame to make contact with alien life forms only to wipe out their entire population with the common cold. Not very neighborly.
Scientists have been working on ways to decontaminate the equipment that we send into space, so we don't throw off a planet's eco-system, according to Discovery News.
Yes, yes. NASA is trying to destroy "cling-ons."
Ralf Moller from the German Aerospace Center may have figured out the best way to do it, according to Discovery News.
Right now, the typical sterilization process includes chemicals and ultraviolet radiation, but recent studies have shown that some bacteria can survive even that vigorous scrubbing, according to Discovery News.
In 2010, researchers at the University of Central Florida tried to eradicate all Earth-cooties by freezing temperatures, dry conditions, ultraviolet light and low pressures, according to Discovery News. Most germs didn't make it, but Escherichia coli (E. coli) made it every round until the bell.
Other studies have found that certain bacteria produce thick walls (endospores) as a shield. Without ultraviolet light and with the addition of water, bacteria can spring eternal and reproduce, according to Discovery News.
Ideally, auto-clave is the best way to kill bacteria, but high temperatures would damage delicate and temperamental robotics, according to Air & Space Smithsonian.
Moller proposed his new method of cleaning at the European Astrobiology Meeting, which was held Oct. 13 through 16, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
"Moller's proposal for sterilization-using low-temperature plasma (electrically charged gas)-is therefore a promising alternative because it occurs at a low temperature (even room temperature), does not involve toxic chemicals, and can be done within a minute or less," Dirk Schulze-Makuch, a professor of astrobiology at Washington State University, wrote in Air & Space Smithsonian.
Moller's use of low-temperature plasma can even penetrate the thick walls of spores, which stops the rebirth of bacteria, according to Air & Space Smithsonian.
