Viking Missions: Did We Accidentally Ghost Martian Life?

Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch suggests NASA’s legendary Viking 1 and 2 missions (launched ’75, landed ’76) might have unintentionally killed Martian microbes by adding water to soil samples. He argues these experiments could have overwhelmed salt-adapted life, turning a quest for aliens into an early extinction event. As Mars missions gear up for 2025 and beyond, Dirk advocates a “follow the salts” strategy to dodge past blunders and better hunt for extraterrestrial life.