There must meet a higher level of cleanliness and some operating restrictions will be imposed. Has the potential to provide clues about life or prebiotic chemical evolution, a spacecraft going Each mission isĬategorized according to the type of encounter it will have (e.g., flyby, orbiter or lander)Īnd the nature of its destination (e.g., a planet, moon, comet or asteroid). Studies Board and on NASA or international policy guidelines. Planetary Protection requirements for each mission and target body are determined based on the scientific advice of the Space Mission Categories Protecting Life on Other Bodies Planetary Protection requirements and mission categories are based on the scientific advice of the Space Studies Board and on NASA or international policy guidelines.Ĭomets Encke, Schwassmann-Wachmann-3 and d'Arrest.ĮxoMars 2016/ESA: Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Entry, Descent, and Landing Demonstrator When exploring a target body that potentially supports Earth life, spacecraft will undergo stringent cleaning and sterilization processes and may be subject to certain operating restrictions. When exploring a target body that may provide clues to the process of chemical evolution and/or the origin of life, spacecraft will have a higher level of cleanliness, with the mission providing detailed operating procedures. In general, the Planetary Protection Categories (Categories I-V) are organized to reflect the degree a target (or encountered) planetary body may provide clues regarding life or prebiotic chemical evolution and can be further refined through planetary target and type of mission. Accordingly, NASA assigns each mission a Planetary Protection Category based on the type of planned encounter (e.g., flyby, orbiter or lander) and the type of planetary bodies that are encountered and explored during the mission (e.g., planet, moon, comet or asteroid). Planetary Protection requirements are specific to the type of mission and explored planetary bodies. Ultimately, the objective of Planetary Protection is to support the scientific study of chemical evolution and the origins of life in the solar system.Īdditional information regarding Planetary Protection can be found on the Committee on Space Research website. Planetary Protection works in conjunction with solar system mission planners in order to ensure compliance with NASA policy and international agreements. To accomplish these goals, the Office of Planetary Protection assists in the construction of sterile (or low biological burden) spacecraft, the development of flight plans that protect planetary bodies of interest, the development of plans to protect the Earth from returned extraterrestrial samples, and the formulation and application of space policy as it applies to Planetary Protection. Rigorously preclude backward contamination of Earth by extraterrestrial life or bioactive molecules in returned samples from habitable worlds in order to prevent potentially harmful consequences for humans and the Earth’s biosphere.Carefully control forward contamination of other worlds by terrestrial organisms and organic materials carried by spacecraft in order to guarantee the integrity of the search and study of extraterrestrial life, if it exists.NASA's Planetary Protection policies and requirements ensure safe and verifiable scientific exploration for extraterrestrial life. NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection promotes the responsible exploration of the solar system by implementing and developing efforts that protect the science, explored environments and Earth. Planetary Protection is the practice of protecting solar system bodies from contamination by Earth life and protecting Earth from possible life forms that may be returned from other solar system bodies.