The basis for these restrictions is the United Nations Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967. While the treaty prohibits domination over celestial bodies in space studies, it requires that research be carried out in a way that prevents “harmful contamination”.
RISK OF INCORRECT DISCOVERY
In this context, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) defines areas on Mars that are thought to have conditions that could support microbial life as “Special Regions”. These areas, which are considered to be hot and humid enough for microorganisms carried from Earth to survive, carry the risk of false “discovery” of possible Martian life.
Although current Mars missions have not been able to reach areas that definitely meet these criteria, areas that have been thought to indicate liquid water in the past, such as recurrent slope lines (RSL), are considered “Uncertain Regions“. Possible water reserves, which are claimed to be kilometers below the surface, remain beyond the reach of today’s technology.
CONTROVERSIAL AMONG SCIENTISTS
However, some experts advocate relaxing these prohibitive requirements in order to speed up the search for alien life and reduce costs. However, scientists who remain distant from this view emphasize that the rules are based on a very strong scientific justification. While the findings obtained in recent years reveal that life may be much more durable than thought, microorganisms that can survive in extreme Mars-like conditions on Earth also invalidate the claim that “Earth life cannot survive on Mars.”
