This illustration shows a concept of how the NASA Mars Ascent Vehicle, which carries tubes containing rock and soil samples, can be launched from the surface of Mars in one step of the Mars Monster return mission. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
The National Planetary Protection Strategy reflects the critical importance of planetary protection to the future of space science, exploration and life on Earth. Planetary protection refers to the policy and practice of protecting future scientific research by limiting biological contamination of other planetary bodies through exploration activities and by protecting the Earth’s biosphere by avoiding harmful biological contamination by returning spacecraft.
By reducing the risk of harmful biological contamination of the Earth (called “backward contamination”) and other planetary bodies (called “forward contamination”), a safe, sustainable and predictable Earth and space environment is supported. New missions to the moon, Mars, and other destinations are on the way or are being considered by NASA, other national space programs from around the world, and the private sector. Although samples from Earth’s Moon are considered harmless and their return to Earth has been unrestricted since 1971, both public and private entities are considering missions that would collect and return samples from other planetary bodies that have not been studied as thoroughly.
By taking into account the emergence of new efforts to explore and utilize the solar system, this strategy provides guidance to address the diverse challenges and manage any potential risk of biological contamination associated with space exploration. Accordingly, this strategy balances the interests of the United States in advancing scientific discovery, human exploration, and the growth of private sector space activities, all with due regard to public safety and applicable obligations. The United States intends to remain at the forefront of developing internationally accepted policies and practices regarding planetary protection.
The National Strategy for Planetary Protection is an important implementation step under the National Space Policy 2020; in particular, “the development of national and international planetary protection guidelines, in collaboration with scientific and commercial partners, for the proper protection of planetary bodies and the earth from harmful biological contamination.” Further implementation of this guideline is to update the roles and responsibilities, to grant authorization and continuous monitoring of private space activities, to maintain international leadership and to encourage the development of innovative technologies and processes that reduce the costs of planetary protection.
The strategy has three overarching objectives corresponding to forward contagion, backward contagion and private sector coordination:
Objective 1: Avoid harmful forward contamination by developing and implementing risk assessment and science-based guidelines and updating the payload assessment process between different agencies.
Goal 2: Prevent backward contamination by developing a Restricted Return Program to protect against adverse effects on Earth’s environment as a result of the possible return of alien life.
Objective 3: Integrate the perspective and needs of the private sector by seeking feedback and developing guidelines on private sector activities with potential implications for planetary protection.
Efforts to achieve these goals and to develop the National Plan of Action for Planetary Protection will be coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and National Space Council (NSpC) staff, in close coordination with the appropriate federal departments and agencies, to ensure United States leadership in safe and responsible scientific discovery, human exploration, and private sector space activities.
Reference: “National Planetary Protection Strategy” by the White House National Space Council, December 2020.
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