Abstract
During a hypothetical interplanetary transfer, living organisms have to cope with three major challenges: (i) the escape process, (ii) the long duration exposure to space; and (iii) the entering process. A comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the probabilities of microorganisms surviving the complex interplay of the parameters of space (e.g., vacuum, UV- and ionizing radiation, temperature extremes) concludes that radiation-resistant microbes could survive a journey from one planet to another in our solar system if they were shielded by a layer of meteorite material.
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Horneck, G. (2001). Likelihood of Transport of Life between the Planets of Our Solar System. In: Chela-Flores, J., Owen, T., Raulin, F. (eds) First Steps in the Origin of Life in the Universe. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1017-7_40
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1017-7_40
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