A new research study led by NASA scientists has found that certain fungi and bacteria hitchhiking on spacecraft could survive for periods of weeks to months under specific conditions near the lunar south pole. Published in Science Advances, the study highlights potential challenges for upcoming crewed missions and scientific exploration.
NASA Study Finds Earth Microbes Could Survive on Moon’s South Pole
The moon generally presents an extremely hostile environment characterized by a lack of breathable air, intense space radiation, energetic particles, and extreme temperatures. Standard NASA lunar figures note that full-sunlit surfaces can reach 127 degrees Celsius (260 degrees Fahrenheit), while areas in darkness can drop to minus 173 degrees Celsius. However, near the lunar south pole, the moon’s slight axial tilt keeps the sun close to the horizon, creating a complex patchwork of intensely lit slopes alongside cold traps and permanently shadowed regions.
Modeling Survivable Niches and Hardiness in Polar Shadows
Researchers tested five specific forms of Earth microorganisms using modeling simulations of three distinct regions near the lunar South Pole: Nobile Rim, Connecting Ridge, and de Gerlache Rim. These simulations incorporated environmental data gathered by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter alongside radiation exposure figures.
The examined organisms included two fungi (Aspergillus niger and several Fusarium species) and three bacteria (Deinococcus, Staphylococcus, and Bacillus). According to planetary scientist Prabal Saxena of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the two fungi proved hardier than the three bacteria species, with Aspergillus niger emerging as the most resilient. Among the bacteria, Deinococcus led in survival while Staphylococcus and Bacillus brought up the rear.
The models indicated that cold shadows remove intense ultraviolet exposure and extreme heat, which act as the fastest short-term killers. In areas such as permanently shadowed craters during autumn and winter seasons, dormant organisms could remain viable for days, weeks, or months. Extreme cold slows chemical reactions rather than instantly destroying dormant cells, while shade sharply reduces ultraviolet radiation doses that would otherwise quickly break DNA and damage proteins.
Implications for Artemis Missions and Lunar Contamination
The findings raise significant concerns regarding unintended life transfer as space agencies pursue plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA’s Artemis program aims to land astronauts around the South Pole region, where permanently shadowed regions are attractive potential sites because they could contain significant amounts of water ice.
Heather Graham, a NASA geochemist who worked on the study, noted that contaminating the lunar surface could disrupt scientific efforts to understand the moon’s history and connections to Earth. When we’re thinking about it that way, we want to make sure that we are looking at native materials, that we’re actually looking at a chemical signal that’s arising from the moon, that we’re not contaminating our signal through our activities,
Graham said. Furthermore, introduced microorganisms could affect lunar resources like water ice and complicate future efforts to understand protosoils if astronauts establish permanent bases or attempt to grow food.
Researchers emphasized that the study models cellular persistence rather than future pathogenicity or growth. The model did not supply food, an atmosphere, or liquid water, and no organism was placed on the moon or observed growing there.
