In the vacuum of space, in the orbit of the planets and on the moon; There are some interesting items. Amongst them From nail clippers and lens cases to bags of poop. There’s everything… Yes, poop.

Moreover, this The reason why there are almost 100 poop bags is, It’s not like the toilet comes from the astronauts and just leaves it there. So what then?

Even the first photo Armstrong took on the moon contained a fecal bag.

Astronauts take their urine and feces with them when they go to the moon. They then dump this waste on the moon. In fact, this was the first photo Neil Armstrong took on the moon. one of the crutch bags It was located.

Because the lining of fecal and urine sacs contain microbial life and viruses, it is important to retrieve these sacs left on the moon and analyze their contents; interplanetary microbial contamination contributes to research.

What is this “interplanetary microbial contamination?”

Research into microbial contamination is done as part of the search for life in space. About half of the fecal mass consists of bacteria that live in our intestines. Some of the more than 1000 species of microbes bacteria that form contains. In short, an entire ecosystem lies in a piece of poop…

Microorganisms found in astronaut feces are important for understanding how life in space is affected. To explain it further; how resilient life is to the moon’s environment and whether it could potentially contaminate other objects in the solar system.

However, Earth’s atmosphere protects us from the harmful effects of UV radiation and keeps temperatures at a livable level. The moon cannot provide this protection and the marks on the feces It will become invalid within 1 month.

The fact that such a situation occurs in the feces left on the moon does not mean that life is completely impossible.

In 2020, Japanese researchers discovered dried bacteria on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS). for 3 years He discovered he could survive. Similarly, in 2017, Russian astronauts found bacteria living outside the ISS. Like those on the moon, they survived temperatures ranging from 121°C to -157°C.

There is also the possibility of a resurgence of some microbes. So after being on the moon for decades, some of these microbes Under the right conditions it can be brought back to life. Bacterial spores in the Arctic were revived after being frozen in ice for thousands of years. It may be possible to revive fecal traces on the moon decades later.

This future of fecal research could take us all the way to Mars.

If microbes could survive on the moon for a certain amount of time, they would have a thin atmosphere, a more hospitable environment, and running water. Mars has evidence of water The chances of survival increase.

But if we go to Mars and pollute the planet with our dirt and… If our microbes love Mars and spread There may be no way to undo this…

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