QUESTION:
Could a genetically engineered organism be introduced into the Martian
environment to trigger the reconstitution of the atmosphere with oxygen and
water so that Earth life could be sustained there?

ANSWER from Jack Farmer on October 14, 1997:
Engineering an organism that could survive in the present Martian surface
environment would be a major scientific accomplishment. The lack of liquid
water, high radiation (UV) and highly oxidizing chemical environment pose a
seemingly impassable barrier to terrestrial life. But biological systems
appear to be far more adaptable to extreme conditions than we once thought,
and we are in fact still discovering the range of life on our own planet.
Still, it is important to realize that the surface environment of Mars is
far more extreme than anything you may experience in Minnesota, or for that
matter, even more hostile climates like the Antarctic. While I do think that
each of the things mentioned above is a limiting factor for the carbon
chemistry that forms the basis for terrestrial life, what we cannot so
easily predict are the possibly numerous adaptations that might allow life
to survive under such extreme conditions by creating favorable
cellular-scale microenvironments.

The concept of terraforming has been around for a long time, and there are
in fact a number of fairly realistic (albeit expensive) scenarios for
creating a more Earth-like Martian atmosphere that could coax the Red Planet
out of its present state of deep freeze. A recent book on the subject that
can provide more information and a review of the history of the concept is
"Terraforming: Engineering Planetary Environments" by Martyn J. Fogg (1995;
ISBN 1-56091-609-5) published by (of all places) the Society of Automotive
Engineers, Inc., 400 Commonwaelth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 (Tel
412-776-4841).

Jack D. Farmer, PhD.
NASA Ames Research Center