Overview
- Reanalysis of samples collected during the Phoenix Mars Lander assembly at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2007–2008 identified 26 previously unknown bacterial species.
- The study, led by NASA JPL’s Kasthuri Venkateswaran and published in Microbiome, used modern DNA metagenomics to characterize microbes overlooked by earlier methods.
- Genomic signatures include radiation resistance, DNA repair, biofilm formation, and dormancy or spore-related traits that could enable long-term persistence in cleanrooms.
- Researchers examined 215 strains from cleanroom floors and reported some lineages persisting across different mission phases, raising concerns about decontamination efficacy.
- KAUST is constructing a planetary simulation chamber to test the microbes under Mars-like and space-like conditions, with initial experiments expected in early 2026.