A Microbial Survival Model for the Permanently Shadowed Regions of the Moon Shows Long-Term Survival of Terrestrial Microbial Contamination.

Abstract

Previous models of microbial survival on the moon do not directly consider the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). These regions shield their interiors from many of the biocidal factors encountered in space flight, such as UV irradiation and high temperatures, and this shielding reduces the rate at which microbial spores become nonviable. We applied the Lunar Microbial Survival Model (LMS, Schuerger et al., 2019) to the environment found inside PSRs at two craters targeted for exploration by the Artemis missions, Shackleton and Faustini. The model produced rates of reduction of -0.0815 and -0.0683 logs per lunation, respectively, which implies that it would take 30.0 years for Shackleton and 30.8 years for Faustini to accumulate a single Sterility Assurance Level of -12 logs of reduction. The lunar PSRs are therefore one of the least biocidal environments in the solar system and would preserve viable terrestrial microbial contamination for decades.