"Has the moon been moving away from planet earth from the beginning? Also, does it keep moving away faster or has the rate always been about the same?"
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Question
Was streptococcus actually found in Surveyor 3 after spending 2 and a half years on the Moon or is that just a rumor?
Yes, this microbe was found on the Surveyor 3 camera that was retrieved and returned to Earth by the Apollo 12 astronauts. For many years it was thought that these microbes had survived their long exposure on the lunar surface. More recently, however, scientific opinion has shifted, and now we think these were probably contaminants introduced when the camera was retuned to Earth. It is very difficult to control such contamination, which is a cautionary tale for future return of samples from Mars. We don't want to identify life in such a sample and then be unsure if the life is from Mars or from Earth. David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
February 14, 2008
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