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Organic Matter and the Moon, by Carl Sagan (1961) / Chapter Skim
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VII. BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION OF THE MOON . .
Pages 34-39

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From page 34...
... Especially on a low-gravity, high-vacuum body such as the Moon, a vehicle impacting at or near escape velocity will distribute its contents over most of the lunar surface. Subsequent investigations might then be unable to distinguish among primitive indigenous organisms, cosmobiota, and terrestrial microbiological contamination.
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From page 35...
... B Distribution of Vehicle Impact Products Existing unfueled final stage carrier rockets of vehicles capable of lunar impact have masses of the order of 104 kg.
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From page 36...
... believes that existing techniques can be immediately extended to detect one microorganism m"2, but considerable further refinement would be required to detect 10"2 m"2 where subsurface samplegathering is also required. Cosmobiota and remnants of indigeneous lunar organisms, if such exist, would be sequestered almost exclusively at much greater depths below the surface than would deposited terrestrial microorganisms.
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From page 37...
... The extent of phagomictic contamination would depend on the degree to which concentrations of organic matter are in contact under the lunar surface, on possible self-limitation of the reproduction rate by accumulation of catabolites, and, of course, on the presence of the specific growth requirements for individual varieties of microorganisms. However, on the basis of the substances produced in terrestrial laboratory experiments simulating primitive conditions, and in the light of such phenomena as adaptive enzyme formation in microorganisms introduced into petroleum deposits (v., e.g., ZoBell, 1950)
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From page 38...
... . In general there are four stages of sterilization: sterile fabrication and assembly of components which might be damaged by subsequent heat, chemical, or radiation sterilization techniques; use of germicidal substances in vehicle construction; terminal sterilization by heat, radiation, and chemicals (especially ethylene oxide)
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From page 39...
... Sterilization of all United States lunar and planetary probes which have a substantial probability of impact has been announced as a firm objective of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The microorganism population of a mammal may be as high as lO1^.
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Key Terms

  • terrestrial organisms
  • terrestrial microorganisms
  • deposited terrestrial
  • lunar surface
  • lunar organisms

  • biological contamination
  • indigenous living
  • living organisms
  • surface density
  • carrier rockets

  • supporting terrestrial
  • mean surface
  • extraterrestrial biological
  • indigenous organisms
  • primitive indigenous

  • geological time
  • ecomictic contamination
  • contained microorganisms
  • viable microorganisms
  • erf x

  • phagomictic contamination
  • terrestrial microbiological
  • indigenous organic
  • terrestrial autochthons
  • terrestrial organic

  • terrestrial laboratory
  • contemporary terrestrial
  • ejected terrestrial
  • indigenous lunar
  • terrestrial microorganism


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