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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
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B
Letter of Request

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546-0001

Reply to attn of: SR

May 5 1997

Dr. Claude Canizares

Space Studies Board

National Academy of Sciences

2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20418

Dear Dr. Canizares:

NASA's planetary protection policy aims to preserve solar system conditions for future biological and organic constituent exploration and to protect the Earth and its biosphere from extraterrestrial sources of contamination. The Space Studies Board (SSB) has been the primary group advising NASA on its efforts in planetary protection and continued advice is needed to ensure that our planetary protection policy remains sound. In particular, we continue to seek the Space Studies Board's advice on issues and concerns about samples returned from planetary bodies.

The recent publication of the SSB report, Mars Sample Return: Issues and Recommendations has been timely in assisting us in the consideration of missions which will collect samples for possible return to Earth. The SSB has made valuable recommendations on the justification and procedures for quarantine of samples returned from Mars. Indeed, we expect that similar sample quarantine procedures may be applicable to any returned extraterrestrial material that may be a potential hazard to Earth's biosphere.

Recent data has indicated that the focus of our previous request on Mars sample return should be expanded to include other solar system bodies. For example, natural satellites, asteroids, and comets represent a wide range of bodies from which NASA may someday take and perhaps return a sample, not only during missions such as Rosetta, but also during missions proposed to NASA's Discovery Program and in our possible joint work with the Department of Defense. With the advent of possible sample return missions from multiple planetary bodies, we feel that it would be prudent to initiate a study that would extend current advice on Mars to other small solar system bodies by addressing:

  1. The potential for a living entity to be in a sample returned from different planetary bodies, such as satellites, comets and asteroids;

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
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  1. Detectable differences among small bodies that would affect the above assessment;

  2. Scientific investigations that should be conducted to reduce the uncertainty in the above assessment;

  3. The potential risk from samples returned directly to Earth by space flight missions, as compared to the natural influx of material that enters the Earth's atmosphere as interplanetary dust particles, meteorites, and other small impactors.

Your help in addressing the question of planetary protection for missions that may return material from a wide range of small bodies is greatly appreciated. Dr. Meyer will be working with you and the SSB staff to finalize a Statement of Task for this study effort. Please contact him (202-358-0307) if you need further information about this request.

Sincerely,

Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.

Associate Administrator for Space Science

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
×
Page 89
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
×
Page 90
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
×
Page 91
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Letter of Request." National Research Council. 1998. Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies: Framework for Decision Making. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6281.
×
Page 92
Next: Appendix C: Additional Perspectives on Contamination from Space »
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For the first time since the Apollo program, NASA and space agencies abroad have plans to bring samples to Earth from elsewhere in the solar system. There are missions in various stages of definition to gather material over the next decade from Mars, an asteroid, comets, the satellites of Jupiter, and the interplanetary dust. Some of these targets, most especially Jupiter's satellites Europa and Ganymede, now appear to have the potential for harboring living organisms.

This book considers the possibility that life may have originated or existed on a body from which a sample might be taken and the possibility that life still exists on the body either in active form or in a form that could be reactivated. It also addresses the potential hazard to terrestrial ecosystems from extraterrestrial life if it exists in a returned sample. Released at the time of the Internationl Committee on Space Research General Assembly, the book has already established the basis for plans for small body sample retruns in the international space research community.

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