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Still, current NASA missions to Mars take precautions with sterilization and clean rooms to prevent contamination prior to launch.

"I'm not overly worried that we're contaminating landing sights," Schuerger said. "I'm not suggesting that we relax planetary protection protocols, either, but current ones appear to be very good."

That's not to say that NASA missions don't pose any contamination risk, given the dust that may get kicked up and cover surviving microbes with a protective layer, he added. Future missions that have landers or rovers digging deeper beyond the top 10 or 20 centimeters of the Martian surface may require additional risk studies.

"Whether or not microbes will survive when we drill down to depth, that's a wide open question at this point," Schuerger cautioned. Studies like Schuerger's, and more complex robotic or human missions to Mars over the next several decades, may provide some answers.