The project of a private Martian colony will try not to disturb potential representatives of the life of the Red Planet, and is unlikely to hunt for them.
The Netherlands-based nonprofit organization Mars 1, which began its selection process on April 22, 2013, plans to land four people on the surface of the Red Planet in 2023. These people will become the vanguard of the permanent Martian colony of earthlings, which will be replenished with new groups every two years.
"Researchers, along with trillions of microorganisms, will undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on any locality chosen for settlement," said Mars 1 officials. That is why the organization will try to highlight the area with the least likelihood of native life.
“The key is to localize the area of pollution,” says Mars 1 CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp. "You need to make sure people don't end up in areas with the highest chance of discovering life, so that the natural Martian environment is preserved."
Mars 1 is working with experts to minimize the danger of colonization enterprises that could harm potential life forms on the Red Planet. For example, John Rummel, who chairs the Space Exploration Planetary Defense Committee, sits on the advisory board, Lansdorp reports.
Significantly reducing risk can be challenging. Mars 1 has not yet determined the exact landing site, but it is assumed that it will be located between 40 and 45 degrees north latitude.
The terrain within this strip must have two critical resources to support the life of the colony - groundwater (in the form of ice) and solar energy. Groundwater will nonetheless support microorganisms, the strength and ubiquity of which continue to amaze scientists (at least on Earth).
It is currently unknown whether Mars 1 (funding for the project is to be funded through a worldwide live television broadcast) will take any serious action to find signs of life on the Red Planet.
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In fact, Mars 1 astronauts do not have to be scientists. Anyone over the age of 18 can apply to participate in the program. The Steering Committee evaluates traits such as intelligence, resourcefulness, determination, and psychological stability during the test, which are often valued above academic education.
“Science is certainly not our main goal,” explains Lansdorp. "The main thing is to get people to Mars and make sure they can survive."
The members of the expedition team will take some scientific equipment with them, but the Mars 1 leadership is not going to focus on the mandatory conduct of experiments.