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January 10, 2006
Okay, This Makes Me Really Nervous
(Jimmy Akin)
This is a picture of the nucleus of a comet known as Wild 2.
The picture was taken by a spacecraft that we sent out to take pictures of it--AND retrieve samples of its tail.
That mission--known as Stardust--passed through Wild 2's tail and collected samples of the particles that were blowing off the comet.
Now those samples are scheduled to be returned to Earth, when Stardust is supposed to drop its sample capsules in Utah.
I always get nervous whenever NASA tries to get samples of extraterrestrial materials down to Earth.
They've already established that there are loads of organic molecules in space, and we have reason to think that there may be extremeophile bacteria--including some here on Earth--that could withstand conditions in space.
Of course, tons (literally!) of space dust falls on Earth every day, but our atmosphere provides a protective shield in that a lot gets burned up and sanitized before it makes its way down here.
But that doesn't happen if NASA puts space dust and rocks in a nice, protective capsule to shield them in the re-entry process.
I know that the odds of anything harmful getting out may be low, but still . . . it makes me nervous.
If you hear of any mysterious diseases suddenly starting in the Utah area next week, start praying really hard.
In the meantime,
P.S. If you've never thought through the associated problems here, try renting and watching The Andromeda Strain in anticipation of the event.
Posted by Jimmy Akin in Science | Permalink
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Comments
I *loved* The Andromeda Strain as a kid. It was the first science fiction that I remember that was not of the "bug eyed monster" variety, though it's villain was a killer from space.
Posted by: Tim J. | Jan 10, 2006 6:13:37 AM
Did you guys see this on Slashdot a while back?
Posted by: AnotherCoward | Jan 10, 2006 6:37:43 AM
Never-the-less, I'll plan on planting next spring.
Posted by: Barbara | Jan 10, 2006 6:47:54 AM
Interesting piece Jimmy...
Unfortunately this notion has already been scooped by Sir Fred Hoyle. He posits that major disease disasters of the past can be traced to the earth passing through the tail of a comet. Yikes!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hoyle
Posted by: Pseudomodo | Jan 10, 2006 7:10:49 AM
Dittos on Andromeda Strain--great, great film. And one that's held up pretty well despite the Sixties feel.
Posted by: Dale Price | Jan 10, 2006 7:11:14 AM
You mean a GOVERNMENT agency didn't take into consideration the Law Of Unintended Consequences? Why am I not surprised?
Posted by: bill912 | Jan 10, 2006 8:11:31 AM
Hey! I can see my house from here!
err wait..
Posted by: DJ | Jan 10, 2006 8:20:54 AM
Follow Stardust News at http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html
Posted by: Realist | Jan 10, 2006 8:36:56 AM
NASA TV schedule for Stardust as of 11:41 A.M. 1/10/06 at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html
Posted by: Realist | Jan 10, 2006 8:42:24 AM
Got a line. No, not gonna say it. Nope.
Posted by: bill912 | Jan 10, 2006 8:51:48 AM
EXTREME EXERCISE OF SELF-CONTROL.
Posted by: bill912 | Jan 10, 2006 8:53:02 AM
"If you hear of any mysterious diseases suddenly starting in the Utah area next week..." Like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sounding like the Mormon Tubercular Choir? (Or looking like the bar scene in "Star Wars"?)
Posted by: bill912 | Jan 10, 2006 8:56:51 AM
Heh, I was expecting, "No, it is I who will eat you!"
btw...what is that from anyways? Is it just a running joke here or is there a reference?
Posted by: DJ | Jan 10, 2006 9:08:37 AM
It doesn't seem likely that a bacteria from outer space would be able to infect a human or anything on Earth except by extraordinary random chance. Bacteria are only able to attach themselves to human cells because they were created with human cells and have changed as human cells have changed - how could an extraterrestrial bacteria have the "landing gear" so to speak to infect a human?
By the way - it was radiation from a passing comet that awakened the dead in "Night of the Living Dead."
Posted by: Clark | Jan 10, 2006 11:13:38 AM
As a kid, I was terrified by The Andromeda Strain. Seems it was always on TV & my oldest brother was always watching it, too. Creepy & scary to a 9 year old.
Don't even get me started on the first time I saw 2001!
Posted by: Gene Branaman | Jan 10, 2006 11:15:23 AM
Ha! And you are telling me!? Try comming to Smallville!
Posted by: Clark Kent | Jan 10, 2006 11:30:52 AM
You count the SciFi films I like (make that: can even stand to see) on one hand. Andromeda Strain is one of them. Great film.
Posted by: Ed Peters | Jan 10, 2006 11:57:10 AM
It doesn't seem likely that a bacteria from outer space would be able to infect a human or anything on Earth
Clark, you've got to be kidding. You need to study your history a little bit more. Have you forgotten the great war of the worlds back in 1938? It wasn't the water that did the Martians in.
Posted by: DJ | Jan 10, 2006 12:29:00 PM
Most small meteors which reach the ground are also "nice protective capsules"; the outer layers ablate, protecting the inner bits from the heat of reentry.
There's not much additional risk here.
Posted by: MenTaLguY | Jan 10, 2006 4:35:36 PM
What? You've never read "The Colour Out Of Space" or watched "The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill"?
Posted by: Jimmy Akin | Jan 10, 2006 10:56:08 PM
Of course, all of the extremophiles we've found are unable to survive at STP. No need to worry.
Posted by: JohnH | Jan 11, 2006 2:32:35 PM
There have been other meteorites that actually made it to the Earth's surface which contained as many as 20 amino-acids, the building blocks of proteins. Thus, it's happened before and has been happening for millions of years. Therefore, I really do not see the need to fret over it.
God bless.
Posted by: Augustine | Jan 13, 2006 8:22:42 AM
Fret if you will. We are star stuff and can possibly trace our roots to such encounters. In the grand scheme of things does it matter if such an encounter helps us up the evolutionary ladder, or crushes us? When our planet collides with the moon or is absorbed by the sun, will anything of mankind survive? Whether by bang or whimper, our destiny seems certain!
Posted by: Steve | Jan 14, 2006 5:26:06 PM
Steve, if I use my gun to shoot some bad guy who is about to shoot you, it will matter.
Posted by: bill912 | Jan 14, 2006 5:32:17 PM
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