From: henry@spsystems.net   
      
   In article <5dcb47db.0401130542.5b3d2fa6@posting.google.com>,   
   Mike Miller  wrote:   
   >> More recent landers, e.g. Mars Pathfinder, generally have *not* been   
   >> sterilized, because it is now fairly certain that conditions on the   
   >> Martian surface are so hostile that it's virtually impossible for Earth   
   >> organisms to survive and spread.   
   >   
   >Well, you learn something every day.   
   >Old: clean. New: sloppy. ;)   
      
   I should have added that there's a *reason* for this:  sterilizing a   
   spacecraft is difficult.  It's hard to make chemical sterilization work   
   well enough, and heat sterilization is terribly hard on electronics.   
   (Sterilization-induced failures are thought to have been a contributing   
   factor in the dismal early history of the Ranger program; the reforms that   
   got Ranger out of its mess included discontinuing sterilization.)   
   --   
   MOST launched 30 June; science observations running     |   Henry Spencer   
   since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending.        | henry@spsystems.net   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)