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The Goals, Rationales, and Definition of Planetary Protection Interim Report (2017) / Chapter Skim
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3 The Outer Space Treaty
Pages 4-5

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From page 4...
... If a State Party to the Treaty has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by it or its nationals in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities of other States Parties in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, it shall undertake appropriate international consultations before proceeding with any such activity or experiment. A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, may request consultation concerning the activity or experiment.1 Thus, the United States is obligated to develop policies, processes, and measures to avoid forward contamination of both the Moon2 and other extraterrestrial bodies and adverse effects of backcontamination of Earth's biosphere by both government and non-governmental interplanetary missions.
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From page 5...
... Internationally, the United States has helped develop harmonized, science-based standards in COSPAR. Although COSPAR documents are not legally binding, they are persuasive, and the United States has applied COSPAR recommendations in fulfilling its planetary protection obligations under the Outer Space Treaty.
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  • experiment planned
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  • peaceful exploration
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  • hereinafter outer
  • states parties
  • legally binding
  • treaty appear

  • cospar recommendations
  • pursue studies
  • signature jan
  • government planetary
  • chemical evolution

  • prebiotic chemical
  • cospar documents
  • nasa policy
  • applied cospar
  • indigenous life

  • five decades
  • principles governing
  • united states
  • appropriate international
  • extraterrestrial material


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