Planetary Protection - Planetary protection aims to preserve the biological and organic conditions of the solar system bodies for future exploration and at the same time protect the Earth from potential extraterrestrial contamination. Planetary protection requirements for each mission are based on the types of encounter it will have (flyby, orbiter, or lander) and the potential of the mission's destination to provide insight into the origin of life. To implement planetary protection requirements, we need to advance current technologies to satisfy planetary protection requirements for surface, subsurface and atmospheric missions as well as those technologies that allow sample acquisition for in situ life detection or sample return. These technologies include cross-contamination risk assessment and prevention; pre-launch bioburden reduction and validation; heating of orbital debris during atmospheric entry at Mars; and sample return issues including containment, handling and sample analysis.

Point of Contact: Ying Lin