B Can BepiColombo Detect Microbial Life on Mercury?

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The BepiColombo mission, scheduled for 2025, aims to explore Mercury and assess its potential for past or present microbial life. While detecting microbial life is not a primary objective, researchers are curious about the conditions that could support life in Mercury's extreme temperatures. The discussion highlights the uncertainty surrounding what new findings BepiColombo might uncover compared to previous missions like MESSENGER. Participants emphasize the importance of exploration, suggesting that unexpected discoveries could arise. Overall, the mission represents a significant opportunity to expand our understanding of Mercury's environment.
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Life on Mercury
Will the 2025 BepiColumbo mission be able to detect any indications of potential past or current microbial life on Mercury?
 
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Welcome to PF.

What have you found in your researching so far? Is that in the mission objectives?

If it is in the mission objectives, what kind of microbial life would be able to survive in those temperatures?
 
If we knew what a mission is going to find before it gets there, we wouldn't need to launch the missiom, would we?

That said, what do you think might be found that was not found by MESSENER or the three flybys that have already occurred?
 

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