A few years after Dr. Strughold began in the Air Force, he published “Life on Mars in View of Physiological Principles”. Two years later, in 1953, he wrote “The Green and Red Planet”, scientifically coining the term “astrobiology” and considering whether a low-pressure chamber, a reduced version of those in his aviation experiments, could mimic Mars.
It was a crazy idea, and fearing the judgment of his colleagues, he started a simple version of the experiment at home. He bought jars and a thermometer, collected lava and lichens. He put the material and plants in the jars and let them hang in his kitchen during the day; at night, I put them in the fridge.
Two weeks later, the lichens lived.
Encouraged by the results, Dr. Strughold shared them in the office. By 1956, the more sophisticated versions of Mars Jars had become part of the Air Force’s research agenda. Imagine a military base on that red rock planet, scientists wanted to see if the hypothetical Martian microbes could help them create a self-sustaining ecosystem.
At the end of the tests, something of life had found a way. Certain microbes even reproduce. “Life on Earth could survive there, or life could arise, life as we know it, and we could also find that life there,” said Dr. Bimm, describing his conclusions. Dr. Strughold’s work provided insight into a microbial Mars that persists today, and wasn’t really popular before the jars.
A year later, Dr. Strughold organized “Problems Common to Astronomy and Biology”, the first astrobiology symposium.
Despite these firsts, Dr. Strughold is not part of the memory of most scientists about astrobiology. The typical count involves civilian scientists, who elaborated and are characters in an origin story that skips military scenes.
