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Comment by Aeolun | Hacker News Reader

Don’t we have some sort of agreement to keep planetary biospheres clear of earth organisms?

It's explained in the article:

> Fortunately for Spivack and the Arch Mission Foundation, spewing DNA and water bears across the moon is totally legal. NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection classifies missions based on the likelihood that their targets are of interest to our understanding of life. As such, missions destined for places like Mars are subject to more stringent sterilization processes than missions to the Moon, which has few of the necessary conditions for life and isn’t at risk of contamination. In fact, Spivack isn’t even the first to leave DNA on the moon. This honor belongs to the Apollo astronauts, who left nearly 100 bags of human feces on the lunar surface before they returned to Earth.

what if the water bears made their way to the bags of feces and started to grow inside there. If the bags serves as a terrarium that produces oxygen from anaerobic microbes via photosynthesis.

I would watch that film. Great origin story for a new world, once Earth is wiped out

They were however more cautious about what the Apollo astronauts might bring back from the moon. IIRC they were quarantined for a period of time after returning, at least on the early missions.

Only about Europa....We were told in stern terms....

Wel also have agreements on nuclear weapons proliferation but that doesn't stop israel

our agreements say that all countries are equal, and that includes Israel. Unfortunately, the exclusion of Taiwan from equality means that agreement is not enforced in a fair manner.

and a separate agreement has countries that sign agree not to proliferate nuclear weapons to new countries. Israel, Pakistan, and India did not sign, and are therefore in compliance with that treaty also.

“All countries are equal, but some countries are more equal than others”

For those who don’t recognize it, this is a take on “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” from Animal Farm by George Orwell. Essential reading for every human (imho).

Thanks, captain

I like how you glaze over the obligations signatories of that treaty DO have... Such as explicitly being not allowed to help other non signatory countries both regarding nuclear programs and ALL MILITARY support. And very explicitly not allowed to aid a "rogue" state in the terms of treaty.. that openly wants nukes. It's not only violatates the treaty direct text it also undermines the entire purpose of the treaty bringing the clock much closer to midnight. If the word of the law was being followed every nuclear proliferation treaty signatory country should be sanctioning Israel as much as North Korea or Iran going back decades. Instead it is ILLEGAL to boycott Israel in many US states.

All of doesn't just apply to treaty obligations but US foreign policy as well... Even from the most ice cold geopolitics pov the USA is behaving irrational and against its best interests in regards to Israel ..

My original point being. If Israel is an exception to nearly every global treaty and agreement geopolitically.... Why would space treaties magically apply to them ?

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