Some Earth microbes could survive briefly on Mars, study finds The two planets may not seem very similar, but our stratosphere â a layer of the atmosphere 30km above the Earth's surface â has some qualities in common with Mars. Our home planet's stratosphere experiences low air pressure and high levels of radiation, and it's dry and cold â much like the surface of the red planet. Using the MARSBOx, or the Microbes in Atmosphere for Radiation, Survival and Biological Outcomes Experiment, scientists at NASA and the German Aerospace Centre collaborated to send four types of microbes into the stratosphere on a balloon.