Ocean Worlds beneath thick ice covers in our solar system, as well as subglacial lakes on Earth, may harbor biological systems. In both cases, thick ice covers (>100 s of meters) present significant barriers to access. Melt probes are emerging as tools for reaching and sampling these realms due to their small logistical footprint, ability to transport payloads, and ease of cleaning in the field. On Earth, glaciers are immured with various abundances of microorganisms and debris. The potential for bioloads to accumulate around and be dragged by a probe during descent has not previously been investigated. Due to the pristine nature of these environments, minimizing and understanding the risk of forward contamination and considering the potential of melt probes to act as instrument-induced special regions are essential. In this study, we examined the effect that two engineering descent strategies for melt probes have on the dragging of bioloads. We also tested the ability of a field cleaning protocol to rid a common contaminant, Bacillus. These tests were conducted in a synthetic ice block immured with bioloads using the Ice Diver melt probe. Our data suggest minimal dragging of bioloads by melt probes, but conclude that modifications for further minimization and use in special regions should be made.

中文翻译：

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下降融冰探测器的微生物运输：对冰下和海洋世界探索的影响。

太阳系厚冰层下的海洋世界以及地球上的冰下湖泊可能蕴藏着生物系统。在这两种情况下，厚厚的冰层（> 100 米）都对进入造成了巨大的障碍。熔体探针由于其后勤占地面积小、能够运输有效载荷并且易于现场清洁，正在成为到达这些领域并对其进行采样的工具。在地球上，冰川中充满了各种丰富的微生物和碎片。此前尚未研究过生物负载在下降过程中在探针周围积聚并被探针拖动的可能性。由于这些环境的原始性质，最大限度地减少和了解前向污染的风险并考虑熔体探针充当仪器引起的特殊区域的潜力至关重要。在这项研究中，我们研究了熔体探针的两种工程下降策略对生物负载拖动的影响。我们还测试了现场清洁方案去除常见污染物芽孢杆菌的能力。这些测试是使用 Ice Diver 融化探针在充满生物负载的合成冰块中进行的。我们的数据表明，熔体探针对生物负载的拖曳最小，但得出的结论是，应进行修改以进一步最小化并在特殊区域使用。