Do you think this is a good idea? Predict some of the consequences of eliminating all bacteria from an environ

Question

12. Imagine you are on a team designing a moon base that will be self-contained and self-sustaining. Once supplied with building materials, equipment and organisms from the earth, the base will be expected to functi0on indefinitely. One of the members of the team suggested that everything sent to the base be chemically treated or irradiated (radiation) so that no bacteria of any kind are present. Do you think this is a good idea? Predict some of the consequences of eliminating all bacteria from an environment

Answer 1

If there were no bacteria, then things would never decompose.  Organics would build up over time and never assimilate back into the environment to be used as fertilizer.

Answer 2

Yeah, because that would eliminate all the cold and virus germs that would kill a person, because they probably could not get help to them right away. But the radiation will be bad for the health of the people up there because they will be exposed to it like every day.

Answer 3

Well, if it travel through space it will be dead anyway since it's a vacuum and absolute zero - it's dead. We bring the bacteria with us, it's in our gut and we need it so I think it's impossible for us to live without bacteria. In Antarctic research stations, no one gets a cold virus which is pretty cool.