With three major robotic exploration missions scheduled or in progress, the European
Space Agency (ESA) is going to great lengths
to ensure that each mission adheres to the planetary
protection requirements determined by the Committee
on Space Research (COSPAR). Planetary protection is one of the key principles
of astrobiology, not only meant to protect extraterrestrial environments that
we visit but also to ensure good scientific results. For instance, when ESAÂs
Beagle 2 lander touches down on Mars in
2003, it would be unfortunate if the robotic explorer were to identify life, only
to later discover that the microbes were actually terrestrial organisms that traveled
to the Red Planet aboard the lander itself. To prevent interplanetary contamination,
the Beagle 2 is
being constructed in a specially
designed sterilization facility at the Open University in the UK. The Huygens
mission to Titan
and the Rosetta comet mission are
labeled as lower risk, since Titan is believed to be too cold to sustain life,
and comets are highly unlikely to harbor actual microorganisms (even though they
may carry the building blocks
of life). Even so, assembly for these missions is also taking place in special
clean rooms under highly controlled conditions.
Aug 15, 2002 | MISSIONS
Work Starts On Assembling Beagle 2
(Space Daily) - Assembly of the European Space AgencyÂs Beagle 2 lander has begun, and researchers hope it will be on the surface of Mars by late next year.
Jul 11, 2002 | SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGIES
Ice Cube of Exotic Microbes
(Astrobiology Magazine) - A pocket of permafrost deep beneath Antarctica offers a chance to test sterile drilling techniques before exploring elsewhere for exotic microbes.
May 08, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Study Urges Caution about Possible Dangerous Martian Life
(Space.com) - The National Research Council has outlined planetary protection measures for a human trip to Mars.
May 07, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Australia Prepares for Asteroid Scavenger's Otherworldly Cargo
(Space.com) - Officials review planetary protection measures for the MUSES-C sample return.
Jan 07, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Signs of Life: On the Lookout for Extraterrestrial Sweet Spots
(Space.com) - A new report reviews methods for detecting extraterrestrial life, and for preventing cross-contamination of planets.
Dec 07, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Europe Heads for Mars
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - The Beagle 2, a compact, lightweight lander carried on the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express orbiter, will search for signs of life on the Red Planet.
Jul 27, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Eilene Theilig: Faith, by Jupiter
(CNN) - The manager of NASAÂs Galileo mission to Jupiter discusses the 12-year-old spacecraft and what it has taught us so far.
Apr 09, 2001 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Life's chemical fingerprints
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Using a technique called Raman spectroscopy, researchers are developing instruments that may one day search for life on Mars, Europa, or Callisto.
Nov 07, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Group fears Mars sample return might contaminate Earth
(CNN) - Planetary protection is one of astrobiology's primary objectives.
Jul 06, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Galileo to crash into Jupiter
(space.com) - To avoid contaminating Jupiter's moons, NASA will deliberately crash land the aging spacecraft.
Apr 27, 2000 | MISSIONS
Life detection technology gets room to grow
(space.com) - The postponement of missions to Mars gives scientists more time to hone technologies for searching for life.
Feb 21, 2000 | MISSIONS
With mission ending, NASA considers crash-landing Galileo probe
(Yahoo!/AP) - The spacecraft could send valuable data as it plunges into Jupiter or one of its moons. NASA will not crash Galileo into Europa for fear of planetary contamination.
Oct 04, 1999 | SCIENCE
Hardy Microbes appear able to survive in space
(Washington Post) - NASA astrobiologist Rocco Mancinelli's findings bolster the hypothesis that microbial life may have evovled elsewhere and spread to Earth, or vice versa. His research also underscores the need for planetary protection from exterrestrial organisms in sample-return missions.
