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Could microbes survive a trip to Mars?

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We Asked a NASA Scientist

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Yes, it is possible for microorganisms to survive\h
the journey from here to Mars and that's why we have\h\h

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a program specifically dedicated to making sure\h
the spacecraft is clean before it leaves. We want\h\h

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to ensure that if we detect life on Mars that\h
we are certain that it did not come from Earth.\h\h

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The journey to Mars includes the hard vacuum\h
of space, UV and ionizing radiation, and drastic\h\h

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temperature changes depending on if you're\h
facing the Sun or shielded away from it. These\h\h

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are conditions that most microbes on Earth could\h
not survive. One prominent type of microbe that\h\h

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could survive the journey are called bacteria\h
endospores which can form seed-like structures\h\h

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that allow them to stay dormant until better\h
conditions arise. This superpower is why spore\h\h

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forming bacteria are given special focus when NASA cleans your spacecraft for Mars. Just to give you\h\h

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an idea the Mars 2020 mission, which includes the\h
Perseverance rover, carried 10 times less bacteria\h\h

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than what you'd find in a teaspoon of seawater.\h
So yes, it's possible for a microbe to survive the\h\h