Since Mars has not found life, why not bring back Martian soil? What are you afraid of?

Hello, everyone, I am a little orangutan.

We humans have lived on the earth for millions of years. With the development of society, our human needs for resources are increasing. Because some resources are non-renewable, this means that at some point in the future, we humans may face some problems of resource shortage. In the universe, there are countless planets, and there will be all kinds of resources on these planets. Since the resources of our planet are limited, can we develop the resources we need from other planets in the future to ensure the sustained and rapid development of our civilized society? In the long run, this is feasible in theory, which is one of the reasons why we explore the universe.

In addition, because the earth is our only home at present, it means that if the earth faces a devastating threat in the future, we humans may be affected and human civilization may end. So looking for a new home, when the earth is threatened, we humans can emigrate to other planets, which is also our goal.

Mars, like our earth, is in the livable zone of the solar system, so the space environment of Mars is similar to that of the earth. Compared with other planets (especially exoplanets), Mars is relatively close to our earth, so it is relatively easy to go to Mars. Over the years, Mars has become one of the main targets of our exploration. At present, there have been many explorations. However, when our probe arrived at Mars, we found that Mars was extremely desolate and could not see any vitality.

Although Mars is extremely desolate, there is still water, but due to the low surface temperature of Mars, this water exists in the form of water ice. Research shows that although Mars is desolate, its water resources reserves can still meet the needs of our long-term immigrants in the future. It's really good news to find water that can meet our needs on Mars. Because on the one hand, we can get water directly through the development of these water resources, on the other hand, through the decomposition of these water, we can get both oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used as fuel for spacecraft. It seems that it is a trend to land on Mars and immigrate to Mars in the future.

However, before we humans set foot on Mars, we need to explore Mars more deeply to ensure that we humans will not encounter various problems in our life on Mars. Because the equipment and instruments carried by the probe are relatively limited, the exploration of Mars is actually limited. If samples of Mars can be brought back to Earth and analyzed in the laboratory, the environment of Mars can be understood to the greatest extent.

For decades, we have been exploring the history of Mars. In such a long time, we haven't collected samples from Mars and returned to Earth for research. Although we haven't found any signs of life on Mars, there are some opinions that there may be microorganisms in the soil on Mars. We haven't brought back soil samples from Mars. Are we worried about the existence of microorganisms in soil samples on Mars, and that these possible microorganisms will pose a threat to us?

We haven't retrieved soil samples from Mars, which may be the reason, but perhaps the most critical factor is that our current technology can't return to Earth from Mars. Although we can return to the earth from the moon at present, compared with the moon, Mars is farther away and it is more difficult to return to the earth from Mars. Because of the orbit between the earth and Mars, the phenomenon that Mars rushes to the sun only happens once every 26 months. At this time, the distance between Mars and the earth is the closest, and it is also the launch window for us to launch the Mars probe at present. This means that if we sample and return from Mars, it will take more than two years to go back and forth, and our aircraft does not have such flight capability at present.

? In the long run, our science and technology will progress. In the future, we will not only retrieve soil samples from Mars, but also send astronauts to Mars. According to the current plan, NASA and ESA plan to start the Mars sampling project in the next Mars exploration. Our country also has plans in this regard. It is estimated that around 2030, we will also collect samples from Mars and return. Judging from these plans, we haven't retrieved samples from Mars yet, not because we are worried, but because the current technology doesn't allow it.

Some friends may be worried about whether these samples will pose a threat to us. Actually, it's not a big problem. Because these samples will be sealed before returning to earth, they will be isolated after returning to earth, and may even be sterilized at high temperature to ensure safety. Just like Apollo brought back moon samples from the moon, it was sealed and isolated. Judging from these measures, even if there may be microorganisms in Martian soil, they will not be directly exposed to nature, so there is no need to worry about these problems.