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Laboratory Investigations of the Survivability of Bacteria in Hypervelocity Impacts

Burchell, Mark J., Shrine, Nick R.G., Mann, J., Bunch, Alan William, Brandao, Pedro F. B., Zarnecki, John C., Galloway, James A. (2001) Laboratory Investigations of the Survivability of Bacteria in Hypervelocity Impacts. Advances in Space Research, 28 (4). pp. 707-712. ISSN 0273-1177. (doi:10.1016/S0273-1177(01)00319-2) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:5039)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(01)00319-2

Abstract

It is now well established that material naturally moves around the Solar System, even from planetary surface to planetary surface. Accordingly, the idea that life is distributed throughout space and did not necessarily originate on the Earth but migrated here from elsewhere (Panspermia) is increasingly deemed worthy of consideration. If life arrived at the Earth from space, its relative speed will typically be of order many km s(-1), and the resulting collision with the Earth and its atmosphere will be in the hypervelocity regime. A mechanism for the bacteria to survive such an impact is required. Therefore a programme of hypervelocity impacts in the laboratory at (4.5 +/- 0.6) km s(-1) was carried out using bacteria (Rhodococcus) laden projectiles. After impacts on a variety of target materials (rock, glass and metal) attempts were made to culture Rhodococcus from the surface of the resulting craters and also from the target material ejected during crater formation. Control shots with clean projectiles yielded no evidence for Rhodococcus growth from any crater surface or ejecta. When projectiles doped with Rhodococcus were used no impact crater surface yielded colonies of Rhodococcus. However, for four shots of bacteria into rock (two on chalk and two on granite) the ejecta was afterwards found to give colonies of Rhodococcus. This was not true for shots onto glass. In addition, shots into aerogel (density 96 kg m(-3)) were also carried out (two with clean projectiles and two with projectiles with Rhodococcus). This crudely simulated aero-capture in a planetary atmosphere. No evidence for Rhodococcus growth was found from the projectiles captured in the aerogel from any of the four shots. (C) 2001 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/S0273-1177(01)00319-2
Subjects: Q Science
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Depositing User: Mark Burchell
Date Deposited: 30 Sep 2008 17:59 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:43 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/5039 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Burchell, Mark J..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2680-8943
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Bunch, Alan William.

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