[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]I found this article from the Los Angeles Times, which discusses our responsibility as human beings venturing into space, fascinating:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/09/local/la-me-mars-contaminate-20120910
In particular, the story mentions that the Mars rover, “Curiosity,” has drill bits that could be tainted with Earth microbes that could survive if they come in contact with water.
The drill bits had been sterilized inside a box that was supposed to be opened after landing, however without consent, engineers at the last minute decided to open the box to mount one bit in the drill to ensure its success during the mission.
Faced with this knowledge, a very big moralistic question now arises. Should the rover discover water, does NASA allow Curiosity to investigate the findings, or do they have an obligation to stay away?
Its an interesting subject as it relates to our origins as human beings on Earth, when we recognize not only just how precious life is, but just how easy it can be to manipulate the inception of life.
And we do have an obligation to stay away.
If we, as human beings, appreciate the sanctity of our own existence, then we need to take incredible measures to make sure we don’t influence the natural course of evolution of life away from this planet. It’s an interesting test as, to me, it points the finger back at us in terms of our own beliefs of how we were created. Did life on Earth start by divine influence? By natural evolution of life originating on our planet? Or if we can so easily affect the creation of life elsewhere, could an off-world race have done the same for us millions of years ago?
Hollywood has touched on this topic before, usually with one very clear message: Stay away!
The film, Prometheus, addresses this very concept. The beginning of the movie shows an alien race that comes to earth and influences the creation of life on our planet.
In the film, 2010: The Year We Make Contact an unknown alien species creates life on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, and issues a stern warning to us humans: Stay away from this planet. We don’t want you tainting this new form of life.”
In the movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, human scientists have created what they call the “Genesis Device,” which can turn a barren planet into a thriving world teeming with life. One of the scientists, Dr. Carol Marcus, upon discovering something unusual that could be the discovery of life on what was supposed to be a desolate world, even states, “There can’t be so much as a microbe or the show’s off.” In other words, if it looks as if life is going to originate on its own on that planet, we have a moral obligation to stay away.
I wonder what we, as a human race, would feel if we learned our own origins occurred as a result of off-world influences?
I commend the NASA scientists for recognizing this as a very important topic, making us aware of it, and addressing it in the open. By resisting the temptation to explore should the situation arise, it shows that as a species, we are admirably evolving.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]