Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

Appendix B: COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy
Pages 35-39

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 35...
... Since that time, COSPAR has provided an international forum to discuss such matters under the terms "planetary quarantine" and later "planetary protection", and has formulated a COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy with associated implementation requirements as an international standard to protect against interplanetary biological and organic contamination, and after 1967 as a guide to compliance with Article IX of the UN Space Treaty in that area (see for reference: UNOOSA 2017, Report of the Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space, 60th Session, A/72/20, United Nations, New York)
From page 36...
... Preparation of a short planetary protection plan is required for these flight projects primarily to outline intended or potential impact targets, brief Pre- and Post-launch analyses detailing impact strategies, and a Post-encounter and End-of-Mission Report which 2 "Remote" here implies the absence of environments where terrestrial organisms could survive and replicate, or a very low likelihood of transfer to environments where terrestrial organisms could survive and replicate.
From page 37...
... Category III missions comprise certain types of missions (mostly flyby and orbiter) to a target body of chemical evolution and/or origin of life interest and for which scientific opinion provides a significant3 chance of contamination which could compromise future investigations.
From page 38...
... on a planetary surface. IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES AND CATEGORY SPECIFICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL TARGET BODIES Guidelines on the Implementation of an Organic Inventory A spacecraft organic inventory includes a listing of all organic materials carried by a spacecraft which are present in a total mass greater than 1 kg.
From page 39...
... "Restricted Earth return": Mars; Europa; others TBD "Unrestricted Earth return": Venus, Moon; others TBD * The mission-specific assignment of these bodies to Category II must be supported by an analysis of the "remote" potential for contamination of the liquid-water environments that may exist beneath their surfaces (a probability of introducing a single viable terrestrial organism of <1 x 10-4)


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.