Can bacteria from Mars analogue sites on Earth survive on Mars? - Impact of perchlorates, drought, andradiation in an anoxic atmosphere

Introduction: On Earth extreme environments are inhabited by a variety of microorganisms adapted to their specific habitat. Such extremophiles are useful model organisms to study the potential survivability of Earth organisms on Mars. Especially the Martian surface is characterised by deleterious environmental parameters, e.g. very low water activity, presence of oxidizing compounds, and high ionizing radiation under anoxic conditions. The survival of bacteria from Mars analogue sites exposed to single and combined Mars relevant parameters under anaerobic conditions was investigated.