You probably saw the announcement of the plans for Curiosity 2.0 to

have a sealed box with Aribidossis seeds that would be grown on the

surface of mars

http://www.space.com/25767-nasa-mars-greenhouse-rover-plant-experiment.html

the designers are convinced that since the plants need oxygen they wont be able

to grow outside of the closed box

it is advertised as a test bed that would lead to martian colonies growing

their plants for food- following up on  similar international space station

experiments

In the larger cultural context is hard not to call this a pan spermia experiment

a subject that has fascinated artists and scientists alike

I havent seen any discussion on the blogoshere of this major cultural event

we can anticipate for 2020.

the ESA Space Arts and Science Topical Team

http://www.esaartscience.com/

The ESA Topical Team Arts & Science [ETTAS] was established in 2011 to develop cooperations between the arts, sciences and ESA. Our mission it to foster and expand the human and cultural aspects of space exploration, and offer a means of communication with a reach beyond traditional space-related channels.

Groups such as MARS PATENTt f Helene von Oldenburg and Claudia Reich 

http://www.mars-patent.org/welcome/welcome.htm 

Have been exploring  a number of ideas: THE MARS PATENT invites you to experience culture on a fascinating and promising site. Millions of miles away the red planet, Mars, now lies within your reach. Since the early days THE MARS PATENT committee has been working hard to find a discriminating place for your desires which allows a new sight on Earth.

 

The artists  Howard Boland and Laura Cinti have done earth testing in the Martian Rose project

http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/leon.2009.42.2.178#.U7BdLPldXBo

https://vimeo.com/35665041

The Martian Rose (2007/9) explores extreme environments and life beyond terrestrial settings. Using a planetary simulation chamber, roses were exposed to Martian environment for six hours at the Mars Simulation Laboratory, University of Aarhus, Denmark on 27th March 2007 for the exhibition Bios 4: Arte Biotecnológico y ambiental at the Andalusian Contemporary Art Center in Seville, Spain and again on 1st and 2nd September 2009 for the exhibition (Un)Inhabitable? – Art of Extreme Environments at the European Museum of Photography in Paris, France.

 

If you are interested in space and the arts check out:  http://olats.org/space/space.php

and we have a Leonardo managed email list of the International Astronautical Federation Committee for the
Cultural Utilisation of Space (ITACCUS) which i co-chair with Nicola Triscott of ArtsCatalyst to subscribe

send an email to spacearts-subscribe@olats.org

would be interested in comments and thoughts about active panspermia

Roger Malina