Fungus from NASA clean rooms survives simulated Mars journey conditions
A fungus discovered in ultra-clean assembly facilities used by NASA could withstand the extreme conditions of a journey to Mars and persist on the planet’s surface, according to new research that raises concerns about biological contamination beyond Earth. The findings, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, provide the first evidence that a complex microbial eukaryote can endure every stage of a Mars mission, from pre-launch preparation to space travel and robotic surface operations.
The study was led by microbiologist Kasthuri Venkateswaran, formerly a senior scientist in planetary protection at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Researchers isolated 27 fungal strains from clean rooms used during the Mars 2020 mission, which sent the Perseverance rover to the red planet. Among them was Aspergillus calidoustus, a filamentous fungus commonly found in plumbing and ventilation systems on Earth that persisted despite strict sterilization protocols.
Scientists generated reproductive spores known as conidia from the fungal strains and exposed them to simulated space and Martian environments. The tests included ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, near-vacuum atmospheric pressure, freezing temperatures, and contact with Martian regolith. The conidia of A. calidoustus survived all individual stress conditions, demonstrating a high level of resilience. Researchers said the results do not indicate that contamination of Mars is likely but provide a clearer assessment of survival risks during space missions.
The organism only failed to survive when extreme cold and high radiation were applied simultaneously. This finding suggests that microbial survival depends on combined stress tolerance rather than resistance to a single factor. It also exposes a gap in planetary protection strategies, which have traditionally focused on highly resistant bacteria rather than fungi when evaluating sterilization methods for spacecraft.
The study identifies A. calidoustus as a candidate organism for testing and improving decontamination protocols aimed at preventing forward contamination, the unintended transfer of Earth life to other planets. The findings align with growing concern over hidden microbes in controlled environments. Separate research recently identified dozens of previously unknown bacterial species in clean rooms at Kennedy Space Center, many carrying genes linked to radiation resistance, biofilm formation, and spore production. Scientists say these insights will help refine risk assessment and planetary protection strategies for future missions.
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