DO INDIGENOUS MARTIAN BACTERIA HAVE PRECEDENCE
OVER HUMAN EXPLORATION?
Christopher McKay and Robert Zubrin
This paper is a summary of a debate between the authors on the question: ÒIs it ethical for humans to terraform Mars, even in the event that microbial life is found to exist there?Ó. Zubrin takes a ÒyesÓ position and McKay takes the ÒnoÓ position. The evening debate at the 2000 Mars Society Convention was an historical event pitting the extremes of the broad spectrum of Mars exploration views.