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Planetary Protection Considerations for Missions to Solar System Small Bodies Report Series—Committee on Planetary Protection (2023) / Chapter Skim
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3 Criteria for Planetary Protection Categorization of Small Body Missions
Pages 27-30

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From page 27...
... Thus, too little is known about any one class of small bodies to use current knowledge as the only criterion for planetary protection mission categorization. However, the committee notes that it 1 Simultaneously, the committee considered the subtle differences between Category I and Category II, as discussed in Chapter 4.
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From page 28...
... Some future observations of some body or class of bodies could make missions to those bodies appropriately classed as Category IV; for example, information from measurements on the presence of geologic activity. Alternately, future observations of some type of small body could indicate that follow-on missions to those types of bodies could be changed from Category II to Category I
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From page 29...
... To date, data taken by Rosetta provide the only set of observations of a comet nucleus along its orbit with the onset of activity, through perihelion passage until the next "dormant" phase at large heliocentric distance. An average erosion of the surface of about 0.4 m was determined, 7 depending on the model used; however, this value for surface erosion can reach even 20 m during a single perihelion passage due to the strong insolation around the comet's southern summer solstice.
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From page 30...
... Ceres is a notable example of a large object with recently discovered importance to astrobiology and thus future missions to Ceres merit reassessing in terms of planetary protection categorization. Future missions to Ceres will likely require more rigorous planetary protection protocols than Category II.
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Key Terms

  • protection categorization
  • comet nucleus
  • geologic activity
  • planetary science
  • planetary bodies

  • perihelion passage
  • future missions
  • kuiper belt
  • main belt
  • surface erosion

  • future observations
  • protection documentation
  • considering planetary
  • protection protocols
  • protection cleanliness

  • protection assessment
  • active planetary
  • rigorous planetary
  • larger planetary
  • protection category

  • protection mission
  • outweigh planetary
  • future science
  • appropriate planetary
  • southern summer

  • astrobiological studies
  • rosetta provide
  • mass transfer
  • scientific requirements
  • changes continuously


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