Is it ethical for Chang'e-4 to bring an entire ecosystem to the moon?
As far as I know, it isn't ethical to contaminate outer space with life from Earth, because then we will never be sure if life can actually grow there. However, I just read reports that the latest Chang'e-4 brings an entire ecosystem to the far side of the moon, with Arabidopsis plant seeds and even silkworms.
Is this okay? Even if it is contained within the machine and not spewed out? What danger is there of the plant material coming out of the machine and contaminating the moon?
the-moon astrobiology chang-e ethics
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
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asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
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As far as I know, it isn't ethical to contaminate outer space with life from Earth, because then we will never be sure if life can actually grow there. However, I just read reports that the latest Chang'e-4 brings an entire ecosystem to the far side of the moon, with Arabidopsis plant seeds and even silkworms.
Is this okay? Even if it is contained within the machine and not spewed out? What danger is there of the plant material coming out of the machine and contaminating the moon?
the-moon astrobiology chang-e ethics
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
What system of ethics?
– Organic Marble
23 mins ago
add a comment |
As far as I know, it isn't ethical to contaminate outer space with life from Earth, because then we will never be sure if life can actually grow there. However, I just read reports that the latest Chang'e-4 brings an entire ecosystem to the far side of the moon, with Arabidopsis plant seeds and even silkworms.
Is this okay? Even if it is contained within the machine and not spewed out? What danger is there of the plant material coming out of the machine and contaminating the moon?
the-moon astrobiology chang-e ethics
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
As far as I know, it isn't ethical to contaminate outer space with life from Earth, because then we will never be sure if life can actually grow there. However, I just read reports that the latest Chang'e-4 brings an entire ecosystem to the far side of the moon, with Arabidopsis plant seeds and even silkworms.
Is this okay? Even if it is contained within the machine and not spewed out? What danger is there of the plant material coming out of the machine and contaminating the moon?
the-moon astrobiology chang-e ethics
the-moon astrobiology chang-e ethics
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
edited 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦
80.6k16230443
80.6k16230443
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
asked 43 mins ago
jonvyltrajonvyltra
161
161
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
jonvyltra is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
What system of ethics?
– Organic Marble
23 mins ago
add a comment |
What system of ethics?
– Organic Marble
23 mins ago
What system of ethics?
– Organic Marble
23 mins ago
What system of ethics?
– Organic Marble
23 mins ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
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Humans have already been to the Moon, and pretty much verified it is completely sterile. It isn't really an issue bringing plants to the Moon, it couldn't contaminate anything, as there is nothing there it could really affect. Besides, anything complex couldn't survive in a vacuum, and there's been plenty of bacteria that have been on the Moon from the Apollo missions to previous landers.
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
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tl;dr: There are "96 bags of poop, pee, and puke" on the Moon already!
The bags of waste are ecosystems for sure, but like the ones you mentioned, they are not going to remain alive for very long.
From Gizmodo's There's Poop on the Moon:
There is, however, scientific value to the things left behind. Astrobiologists, for instance, hope to one day inspect that half-century-old feces to see if the crap has undergone any genetic mutations while in space. Even more mundane gear on the moon's surface offer a unique perspective on how different materials hold up in extreme environments like the moon, where temperatures oscillate between minus 370-degrees to 250-degrees Fahrenheit.
What kinds of mundane gear, you wonder? Well, there's actually an entire website devoted to trash on the moon. However, here's a list of the more interesting and unusual items—aside from the 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke:
- More than 70 spacecraft
- 5 American flags, all of which are now white
- 12 pairs of boots
- An olive branch sculpture made of gold:
- "Several improvised javelins"
- Used wet wipes
- Space food wrappers
- 2 golf balls
- This gold-plated telescope that was the first tool used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another planetary body:
- A feather from Baggin, the official mascot of Air Force Academy
- A patch from the doomed Apollo 1 mission that never launched
- This silicon disc with goodwill messages from 73 world leaders:
- 12 Hasselbad cameras
- This photograph of Astronaut Charlie Duke's family from Apollo 16:
- Not to be repetitive or anything: 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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Humans have already been to the Moon, and pretty much verified it is completely sterile. It isn't really an issue bringing plants to the Moon, it couldn't contaminate anything, as there is nothing there it could really affect. Besides, anything complex couldn't survive in a vacuum, and there's been plenty of bacteria that have been on the Moon from the Apollo missions to previous landers.
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
add a comment |
Humans have already been to the Moon, and pretty much verified it is completely sterile. It isn't really an issue bringing plants to the Moon, it couldn't contaminate anything, as there is nothing there it could really affect. Besides, anything complex couldn't survive in a vacuum, and there's been plenty of bacteria that have been on the Moon from the Apollo missions to previous landers.
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
add a comment |
Humans have already been to the Moon, and pretty much verified it is completely sterile. It isn't really an issue bringing plants to the Moon, it couldn't contaminate anything, as there is nothing there it could really affect. Besides, anything complex couldn't survive in a vacuum, and there's been plenty of bacteria that have been on the Moon from the Apollo missions to previous landers.
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
Humans have already been to the Moon, and pretty much verified it is completely sterile. It isn't really an issue bringing plants to the Moon, it couldn't contaminate anything, as there is nothing there it could really affect. Besides, anything complex couldn't survive in a vacuum, and there's been plenty of bacteria that have been on the Moon from the Apollo missions to previous landers.
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
answered 38 mins ago
PearsonArtPhoto♦PearsonArtPhoto
80.6k16230443
80.6k16230443
add a comment |
add a comment |
tl;dr: There are "96 bags of poop, pee, and puke" on the Moon already!
The bags of waste are ecosystems for sure, but like the ones you mentioned, they are not going to remain alive for very long.
From Gizmodo's There's Poop on the Moon:
There is, however, scientific value to the things left behind. Astrobiologists, for instance, hope to one day inspect that half-century-old feces to see if the crap has undergone any genetic mutations while in space. Even more mundane gear on the moon's surface offer a unique perspective on how different materials hold up in extreme environments like the moon, where temperatures oscillate between minus 370-degrees to 250-degrees Fahrenheit.
What kinds of mundane gear, you wonder? Well, there's actually an entire website devoted to trash on the moon. However, here's a list of the more interesting and unusual items—aside from the 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke:
- More than 70 spacecraft
- 5 American flags, all of which are now white
- 12 pairs of boots
- An olive branch sculpture made of gold:
- "Several improvised javelins"
- Used wet wipes
- Space food wrappers
- 2 golf balls
- This gold-plated telescope that was the first tool used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another planetary body:
- A feather from Baggin, the official mascot of Air Force Academy
- A patch from the doomed Apollo 1 mission that never launched
- This silicon disc with goodwill messages from 73 world leaders:
- 12 Hasselbad cameras
- This photograph of Astronaut Charlie Duke's family from Apollo 16:
- Not to be repetitive or anything: 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
add a comment |
tl;dr: There are "96 bags of poop, pee, and puke" on the Moon already!
The bags of waste are ecosystems for sure, but like the ones you mentioned, they are not going to remain alive for very long.
From Gizmodo's There's Poop on the Moon:
There is, however, scientific value to the things left behind. Astrobiologists, for instance, hope to one day inspect that half-century-old feces to see if the crap has undergone any genetic mutations while in space. Even more mundane gear on the moon's surface offer a unique perspective on how different materials hold up in extreme environments like the moon, where temperatures oscillate between minus 370-degrees to 250-degrees Fahrenheit.
What kinds of mundane gear, you wonder? Well, there's actually an entire website devoted to trash on the moon. However, here's a list of the more interesting and unusual items—aside from the 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke:
- More than 70 spacecraft
- 5 American flags, all of which are now white
- 12 pairs of boots
- An olive branch sculpture made of gold:
- "Several improvised javelins"
- Used wet wipes
- Space food wrappers
- 2 golf balls
- This gold-plated telescope that was the first tool used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another planetary body:
- A feather from Baggin, the official mascot of Air Force Academy
- A patch from the doomed Apollo 1 mission that never launched
- This silicon disc with goodwill messages from 73 world leaders:
- 12 Hasselbad cameras
- This photograph of Astronaut Charlie Duke's family from Apollo 16:
- Not to be repetitive or anything: 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
add a comment |
tl;dr: There are "96 bags of poop, pee, and puke" on the Moon already!
The bags of waste are ecosystems for sure, but like the ones you mentioned, they are not going to remain alive for very long.
From Gizmodo's There's Poop on the Moon:
There is, however, scientific value to the things left behind. Astrobiologists, for instance, hope to one day inspect that half-century-old feces to see if the crap has undergone any genetic mutations while in space. Even more mundane gear on the moon's surface offer a unique perspective on how different materials hold up in extreme environments like the moon, where temperatures oscillate between minus 370-degrees to 250-degrees Fahrenheit.
What kinds of mundane gear, you wonder? Well, there's actually an entire website devoted to trash on the moon. However, here's a list of the more interesting and unusual items—aside from the 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke:
- More than 70 spacecraft
- 5 American flags, all of which are now white
- 12 pairs of boots
- An olive branch sculpture made of gold:
- "Several improvised javelins"
- Used wet wipes
- Space food wrappers
- 2 golf balls
- This gold-plated telescope that was the first tool used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another planetary body:
- A feather from Baggin, the official mascot of Air Force Academy
- A patch from the doomed Apollo 1 mission that never launched
- This silicon disc with goodwill messages from 73 world leaders:
- 12 Hasselbad cameras
- This photograph of Astronaut Charlie Duke's family from Apollo 16:
- Not to be repetitive or anything: 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
tl;dr: There are "96 bags of poop, pee, and puke" on the Moon already!
The bags of waste are ecosystems for sure, but like the ones you mentioned, they are not going to remain alive for very long.
From Gizmodo's There's Poop on the Moon:
There is, however, scientific value to the things left behind. Astrobiologists, for instance, hope to one day inspect that half-century-old feces to see if the crap has undergone any genetic mutations while in space. Even more mundane gear on the moon's surface offer a unique perspective on how different materials hold up in extreme environments like the moon, where temperatures oscillate between minus 370-degrees to 250-degrees Fahrenheit.
What kinds of mundane gear, you wonder? Well, there's actually an entire website devoted to trash on the moon. However, here's a list of the more interesting and unusual items—aside from the 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke:
- More than 70 spacecraft
- 5 American flags, all of which are now white
- 12 pairs of boots
- An olive branch sculpture made of gold:
- "Several improvised javelins"
- Used wet wipes
- Space food wrappers
- 2 golf balls
- This gold-plated telescope that was the first tool used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another planetary body:
- A feather from Baggin, the official mascot of Air Force Academy
- A patch from the doomed Apollo 1 mission that never launched
- This silicon disc with goodwill messages from 73 world leaders:
- 12 Hasselbad cameras
- This photograph of Astronaut Charlie Duke's family from Apollo 16:
- Not to be repetitive or anything: 96 bags of poop, pee, and puke
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
edited 15 mins ago
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
answered 22 mins ago
uhohuhoh
35.2k18123440
35.2k18123440
add a comment |
add a comment |
jonvyltra is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
jonvyltra is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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What system of ethics?
– Organic Marble
23 mins ago