Not sure why NASA is concerned that mankind “might not be ready” for an announcement of bacteria on mars.
The reaction is going to be a 5 billion yawns.
The Levin experiment (glad to see he's still alive) was the only thing aboard Viking with the setup and sensitivity to detect life, many on FR probably rememeber it from that time as I do. Professional jealousy is probably the reason there's been unrelenting denial of the findings.