Microbial diversity in a Mars analog mission in the hyper arid Makhtesh Ramon, Israel

We designed a protocol to monitor the progression of forward and backward contamination agents in a Mars analog mission of 11-days in Makhtesh Ramon in Israel. As human exploration missions to Mars are on the horizon, there is intense emphasis on both ethical and practical aspects of planetary protection. Microbial cross-contamination remains a key issue to address before executing human missions to any planetary body. We looked mainly at extremophiles and pathogenic groups of bacteria in the mission.