Study Reveals Fungi Can Survive Mars-Like Conditions Despite Strict Spacecraft Cleaning

Scientists often take extreme care to ensure that spacecraft sent to other planets do not carry microbes from Earth. Before launch, equipment is cleaned in advanced high-tech cleanrooms to reduce any chance of contamination. So far, most concerns have focused on bacteria. However, a new study has now turned attention to fungi and their surprising ability to survive harsh conditions, reported BBC.

The study focused on a small filamentous fungus called Aspergillus calidoustus. This fungus does not produce mushrooms but reproduces through tiny spores known as conidia. It is commonly found in indoor environments such as plumbing systems and ventilation units.

Researchers discovered that the fungus was present in a state-of-the-art assembly room prepared ahead of NASA's Mars rover Perseverance's 2020 mission.

Scientists then sought to understand how harsh conditions this fungus could endure. They prepared spores from 27 different fungal strains and exposed them to environments similar to those encountered during space travel and on Mars. These included extremely low temperatures, ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, very low atmospheric pressure, and loose dust-like material (regolith) found on the Martian surface.

These experiments showed that the fungal spores were able to survive even in these extremely harsh conditions.

Kasthuri Venkateswaran of the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said of the results, "Microbes possess an extraordinary ability to withstand environmental stresses."

He also clarified that this does not mean that Mars is at greater risk of contamination, but rather that this research helps scientists better understand the potential survival risks of microorganisms.

The study also revealed that this fungus can only be killed when exposed to the combined effects of extreme cold and high radiation. This makes it clear that survival depends not on a single factor, but on the simultaneous effects of multiple environmental stresses.

This finding extends earlier research that found that microscopic moss spores survived nine months in space, even when they were present outside the International Space Station.

This study shows that even though microorganisms are very small, their ability to survive in harsh environments should not be underestimated.