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Preventing the Forward Contamination of Europa (2000) / Chapter Skim
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1 Planetary Protection Policies
Pages 3-6

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From page 3...
... so as to avoid their harmful contamination...."4 To abide by the treaty's imperatives, NASA has developed detailed planetary protection procedures in accordance with general requirements outlined in recommendations in various reports provided by the Space Studies Board. NASA implementation plans are then submitted to COSPAR for that organization's approval in its de facto role as the international court of scientific opinion with respect to the Outer Space Treaty's noncontamination policies.
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From page 4...
... Thus, the report recommended that landers carrying instrumentation for in situ investigation of extant martian life "should be subject to at least Viking-level sterilization procedures" (see Box 1. 11.9 Orbiters and landers without biological experiments, on the other hand, "should be subject to at least Viking-level presterilization procedures such as clean-room assembly and cleaning of all components—for bioload reduction, but such spacecraft need not be sterilized."'° The NRC's recommended distinction between Mars landers with and without life-seeking experiments was later codified and adopted by COSPAR." 12 NASA's implementation of these policies, described in Planetary Protection Provisions for Robotic Extraterrestrial Missions, involves adherence to the following procedures:'3 · Spacecraft thatfly by or enter orbit around Mars are subject to planetary protection requirements designed to control contamination and to reduce the risk that spacecraft or its boosters will impact the planet.
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From page 5...
... Stabekis, "Revised Planetary Protection Policy for Solar System Exploration," Advances in Space Research 4: 291, 1984. ~ Space Studies Board, National Research Council, Biological Contamination of Mars: Issues and Recommendations, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1992.
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From page 6...
... |3 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Space Science, Planetary Protection Provisions for Robotic Extraterrestrial Missions, NPG 8020.12B, Washington, D.C., 1999. |4 Viking '75 Project, Pre-launch Analysis of Probability of Planetary Contamination, Volumes Il-A and Il-B, M75155-01 and M75-155-02, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., 1975.
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Key Terms

  • space studies
  • outer space
  • biological contamination
  • protection requirements
  • protection policies

  • terrestrial organisms
  • space research
  • celestial bodies
  • biological potential
  • international astronautical

  • extraterrestrial missions
  • requirements designed
  • viking presterilization
  • space treaty
  • martian surface

  • protection provisions
  • protection policy
  • principles governing
  • robotic extraterrestrial
  • scientific opinion

  • report concerns
  • landers carrying
  • organisms introduced
  • periodic microbiological
  • nations outer

  • protect indigenous
  • involves adherence
  • public discussion
  • cospar approach
  • viking missions


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