Can our space probes colonize another planet?

Question

I'm wondering if there are any microorganisms of any kind on board the various NASA probes (Voyager, Cassini, etc) that could survive in stasis and ultimately awaken, colonize a planet in another solar system, and perhaps evolve into more sophisticated alien lifeforms.

Answer 1

There probably are but the chances of surviving thousands of years in interstellar space, finding a planet and crashing through the atmosphere and then not being burned up and finding an environment with the right conditions, water, food, air, light etc are as near to zero as you can ever get.

Answer 2

No. Even if there were microorganisms onboard when they launched, it's extremely unlikely they are alive today, let alone in millions or billions of years. The odds of any of our interstellar probes encountering a planet that could sustain microbial life are infinitessimally low...even on the scale of the lifetime of the universe. Even then, it would be a crash landing after a fiery atmospheric reentry.

If anyone wants to entertain flights of fancy over the tiniest possibility our earthly microbes or spores could survive such conditions for so long, that's their prerogotive...but the safer bet is to consider the reality of the situation.

Answer 3

One thing that life teaches us on earth is that life does find way. Who would have thought that there were unique lifeforms around fumeroles in the ocean at well above water boiling temperature and extreme depths? Or in the highly acidic waters around volcanoes? Or the many life-forms on earth (such as frogs) that can be frozen for long periods, and come to life? And are they not looking for micro-organismson Mars, that would have to have survived and maybe even thrived for millions of years in that harsh environment?

Once micro-organisms are frozen to absoute zero, there will be, by definition, no deteriation. So if they are able to revive after one day, they should be able to revive after one million years. There is essentially no difference.

So, I think that the odds are not in favour, but it is always possible.

Answer 4

I know nasa takes alot of time to prevent contamination for materials going either way. Plus when you look at the varous primitive life forms that live in near volcanic activity, or virusus that freeze into a crystiline structure and can be reactivated later, it is possable. Lets face it there are those who argue something simmilar happened on earth and is why we are here.
Probabability *excluding specificaly modified organisms and alot of time* is nominal least for a while.

Answer 5

No. That would not be a viable means to accomplish that objective. It is to huge of a jump to hope to progress from a microbe to a human-like form developing.

What might happen though is thatr some partially unsanitized probe might contaminate a foreign environment and kill every living thing upon it.

Answer 6

With due time. Yes, sweetheart. Life here on Earth started as micro-organisms and none of the spacecraft sent so far to other planets are 100% microbe free.

So to answer your question: Yes.