时间:2024-09-20 10:36:20 来源:网络整理编辑:休閑
Why must everything always be about aliens on the internet?The most recent example comes at the hand
Why must everything always be about aliens on the internet?The most recent example comes at the hands of a bunch of well-meaning journalists really blowing something out of proportion. Basically, NASA posted a job listing looking for a full-time "planetary protection officer" to join the agency—and breathless alien hilarity ensued.
SEE ALSO:Congressman completely wastes NASA's time by asking about aliensSome progressively more hysterical coverage of the ad suggested that this poor official is expected to keep us safe from alien invasion.
At a really fundamental level, that's kind of true. The Office of Planetary Protection is expected to help protect Earth from possible contamination by alien microbes that might hitch a ride back to our planet through sample return, but just stopping there misses the point.
One of the main jobs of a planetary protection officer is to help NASA make sure we're protecting the solar system -- and any life in it -- from us.
Via GiphySpacecraft heading to other objects in our solar system need to be as clean as possible, meaning that NASA has to be sure that the millions of microbes living on basically everything on this planet aren't on the hardware we're sending out to other places.
This makes a lot of sense, right? We don't want to just deliver our Earth microbes to other planets, possibly contaminating them and harming whatever other life might be there already.
We also want to be sure that we're not introducing some microbes that could actually thrive on another planet, totally screwing over the chance for life on that world to develop naturally.
NASA takes this really seriously.
Even the Cassini spacecraft -- which has been exploring Saturn in the vacuum of space for more than 10 years -- is going to make a death-dive into Saturn just to be sure that it doesn't contaminate any possibly life-harboring moons.
Via GiphySure, if we ever bring back material from another world like the moon or Mars, the planetary protection officer will need to think about some kind of game plan for if alien microbes did stow away back to Earth, but that's not in the cards right now.
So if you're applying to the job thinking you'll get to kick alien ass like Will Smith or Jeff Goldblum, think again. You'll be dealing in microbes, my friend, not telepathic monsters.
The five guys who climbed Australia's highest mountain, in swimwear2024-09-20 10:32
曝李鐵事件導致足協高層受牽連 不排除還有後續事情可能2024-09-20 10:29
日韓周報 :南野傳射助紅軍聯賽杯晉級 孫興慜破門2024-09-20 10:25
滄州主帥:球員表現很好 防守上需要進一步提高2024-09-20 09:55
Tributes flow after death of former Singapore president S.R. Nathan2024-09-20 09:50
毛毅軍 :三連勝的滄州隊狀態不錯 申花明天會全力以赴2024-09-20 09:01
又添一留洋國腳?曝蘇超隊報價劄幌前鋒 球員剛入選日本國家隊2024-09-20 08:52
中超前瞻 :泰山輕鬆迎戰國安 海港欲雙殺廣州城2024-09-20 08:46
Tributes flow after death of former Singapore president S.R. Nathan2024-09-20 08:29
1分不解渴 !青島留住直接保級希望 恐難逃附加賽命運2024-09-20 08:24
Florida hurricane forecast remains uncertain, but trends in state's favor2024-09-20 10:18
馬德興評泰山奪冠:成功來自堅定培養本土教練和球員2024-09-20 10:10
巴薩今天將體檢+簽約費蘭2024-09-20 09:36
滄州主帥 :隊內發生爭執後變得更團結 希望泰山隊踢好亞冠2024-09-20 09:20
One of the most controversial power struggles in media comes to a close2024-09-20 09:20
大連人VS重慶首發:博阿滕PK大摩托 拉爾森出戰2024-09-20 09:18
C羅傷人動作再現球場! 球迷 :為何他不會得紅牌?2024-09-20 08:41
1分不解渴!青島留住直接保級希望 恐難逃附加賽命運2024-09-20 08:36
Mall builds real2024-09-20 08:19
揭秘申花00後新星成長幕後:用場下加練 場上狂奔贏得認可2024-09-20 07:53