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7 A NASA Planetary Protection Strategic Plan
Pages 90-94

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From page 90...
... All of these issues are appropriate items for a planetary protection strategic plan. Finding: The issues raised in the committee's assessment of NASA's planetary protection policy develop ment processes comprise appropriate topics for a planetary protection strategic plan, but NASA currently lacks such a plan.
From page 91...
... Specifically, such a plan would address the following elements: • Relative roles and responsibilities in NASA for planetary protection policy formulation, implementation, and compliance validation; • Plans for conducting a thorough review of the completeness of current policies and requirements, especially with respect to potential new issues associated with future missions; • Reaffirmation of established processes for defining and communicating requirements, especially level-2 and lower level requirements; • Use of NASA standard project management and systems engineering protocols in developing planetary protection requirements and delegating implementation responsibilities; • Management and mitigation of risk in a cost-capped program environment; • Participation by all agency stakeholders in policy changes and requirements development; • Institutional roles and responsibilities for planetary protection research and technology development; and • Resource needs (workforce and budget) to conduct planetary protection responsibilities effectively.
From page 92...
... A long-range forecast of likely future missions that will have implications for planetary protection is an essential element of a planetary protection strategic plan. The forecast would become a tool for the following: • Advisory bodies as they assist NASA in setting priorities for research and technology investments; and • NASA planetary protection officials as they look ahead well in advance at likely future missions and begin to consider planetary protection guidelines and requirements that mission planners will need to understand and incorporate into their planning.
From page 93...
... Each of the issues regarding a planetary protection strategy for Mars exploration will require significant effort. The committee concludes that an overall NASA planetary protection strategic plan is an appropriate platform for organizing the effort and creating a plan for the job.
From page 94...
... NASA has played a pivotal leadership role on behalf of the United States in developing successful planetary protection policies for more than five decades, and the committee's recommendations are intended to help sustain that success in the future.


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