Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board (2020) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix C: Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board: Findings and Recommendations
Appendix C: Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board: Findings and Recommendations
Pages 63-70
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From page 63... ...
[2] Major Finding: For planetary missions involving locations of high astrobiological potential, it is essential that forward and backward contamination consideration be integral to mission implementation.
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From page 64... ...
[19] Supporting Finding: For many of NASA's scientifically driven planetary exploration missions to astrobiologically relevant targets, scientific cleanliness requirements often exceed PP bioburden requirements.
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From page 65... ...
Biological materials intentionally added by a bad actor are especially challenging for launch providers to monitor or report, as they can be further obscured by falsified verification or inaccurate documentation. The recent experience in which a launch customer placed tardigrades and other biological samples on the SpaceIL Beresheet lunar lander is illustrative.
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From page 66... ...
high priority astrobiology zones, i.e., regions considered to be of high scientific priority for identifying extinct or extant life, and (ii) human exploration zones, i.e., regions where the larger amounts of biological contamination inevitably associated with human exploration missions, as compared to robotic scientific missions, will be acceptable.
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From page 67... ...
[44] Major Recommendation: NASA should begin planning for the public communication of all aspects of PP planning for human missions to Mars sooner rather than later, and should pay special attention to public PP concerns, similarly to NASA's proactive treatment of NASA missions involving radioisotope power systems.
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From page 68... ...
Government licenses the launch and re-entry of private space vehicles, including those for beyond Earth orbit activities. Regarding PP, these licensing mechanisms could be improved to relieve administrative burdens and address misperceptions of legal uncertainty for private sector space activities, including private sector robotic and human planetary missions that do not have significant NASA involvement.
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From page 69... ...
Titan's ocean, by contrast, lies below an organic-covered ice shell ~100 km thick and is thus largely inaccessible. Impacts into Titan's icy crust can generate melt, creating a transient liquid water environment in which the liquid water can mix with Titan's surface organics; previously melted deposits are expected near Dragonfly's ultimate target, Selk Crater.
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From page 70... ...
These stringent numerical limits force requirements that can be unattainable, do not use the current best practices in industry of a probabilistic approach to contamination and risk mitigation, and have the potential to drive mission cost and schedule increases. Studies that examine transport, survival and amplification of relevant forward organic contaminants will inform whether contamination at one lander site provides a significant risk to future science conducted at other locations on the surface or sub-surface.
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