Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes (2018) / Chapter Skim
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5 Planetary Protection Challenges from the Human Exploration of Mars
5 Planetary Protection Challenges from the Human Exploration of Mars
Pages 79-84
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From page 79... ...
will, in the committee's view, affect the processes for planetary protection policy development. PLANETARY PROTECTION AND HUMANS ON MARS NASA planetary protection documents acknowledge that NASA does not have a policy for human exploration on the surface of Mars and mostly call for a significant number of tests and experiments before sending humans there.2 Current Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
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From page 80... ...
It is reasonable to expect that the modification of planetary protection requirements to enable human exploration will have an impact on future science investigations, the magnitude of 4 Outer Space Treaty, Article II. 5 For example, the states parties to the agreement on the International Space Station agreed that the operation of the station did not constitute an appropriation of low-Earth orbit space even though the station has been using the same orbit path for approximately 20 years.
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From page 81... ...
• A comprehensive planetary protection protocol for human missions should be developed that encompasses both forward and backward contamination concerns, and addresses the combined human and robotic aspects of the mission, including subsurface exploration, sample handling, and the return of the samples and crew to Earth. • Neither robotic systems nor human activities should contaminate Special Regions on Mars, as defined by this Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
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From page 82... ...
Therefore, the processes for selecting a human exploration strategy and for developing planetary protection policy are inextricably linked. As NASA begins to develop a planetary protection policy that will encompass future human missions, policy makers will need to consider all the potential approaches for human missions.
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From page 83... ...
The process by which a new planetary protection policy for human exploration of Mars is developed will need to provide for international discussions of, and choices amongst, alternatives such as these. FUTURE STUDIES REQUIRED TO DEVELOP THE NEXT HUMAN EXPLORATION POLICY The feasibility and limitations of a policy that allows for protected science zones or unprotected human exploration zones depend on the extent to which contaminants can be transported across Mars.
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From page 84... ...
Finding: Although NASA is planning for human missions to Mars in the 2030s, NASA does not currently have an adequate planetary protection policy for human exploration and activities on Mars. In addition, neither NASA nor the Department of State have crafted strategies for productive international dialog on developing policy for planetary protection and for other issues, such as the relationship between exploration zones on Mars and the OST's prohibition on national appropriation of parts of celestial bodies, associated with human missions to Mars.
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