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Published online 6 June 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.878
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'Dandruff' could contaminate Phoenix landing site
Dead microbes and skin flakes from Earthlings may scupper the search for organic molecules.
Could Phoenix’s search for organic molecules on Mars be foiled by dandruff from Earth? After a successful landing last month on the planet’s northern plains, the NASA spacecraft is busily scraping through the martian dirt. Next week, the mission team plans to use one of its premier instruments, the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA), to test its first baked soil sample for molecules containing carbon.
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