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Planetary protection issues and future Mars missionsA primary scientific theme for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) is the search for life, extant or extinct, on Mars. Because of this, concerns have arisen about Planetary Protection (PP), the prevention of biological cross-contamination between Earth and other planets during solar system exploration missions. A recent workshop assessed the necessity for, and impact of, PP requirements on the unmanned and human missions to Mars comprising the SEI. The following ground-rules were adopted: (1) Information needed for assessing PP issues must be obtained during the unmanned precursor mission phase prior to human landings. (2) Returned Mars samples will be considered biologically hazardous until proven otherwise. (3) Deposition of microbes on Mars and exposure of the crew to martian materials are inevitable when humans land. And (4) Human landings are unlikely until it is demonstrated that there is no harmful effect of martian materials on terrestrial life forms. These ground-rules dictated the development of a conservative PP strategy for precursor missions. Key features of the proposed strategy include: to prevent forward-contamination, all orbiters will follow Mars Observer PP procedures for assembly, trajectory, and lifetime. All landers will follow Viking PP procedures for assembly, microbial load reduction, and bio-shield. And, to prevent back-contamination, all sample return missions will have PP requirements which include fail-safe sample sealing, breaking contact chain with the martian surface, and containment and quarantine analysis in Earth-based laboratory. In addition to deliberating on scientific and technical issues, the workshop made several recommendations for dealing with forward and back-contamination concerns from non-scicntific perspectives.
Document ID
19940029027
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Devincenzi, D. L. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Klein, H. P. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Bagby, J. R. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1991
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Report/Patent Number
A-92032
NAS 1.55:10086
NASA-CP-10086
Accession Number
94N33533
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 326-72-00-02
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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