عنوان

Preventing the forward contamination of Mars

0309652626

9780309652629

b605681

Preventing the forward contamination of Mars

[Book]

Committee on Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars, Space Studies Borad, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council.

Washington, D.C.

National Academies Press

2006

(xii, 153 pages) : illustrations

Policies and practices in planetary protection --; Future Mars exploration: the rolling wave --; Environments on Mars relative to life --; Expanding our knowledge of the limits of life on Earth --; Advances in technologies for life detection and bioburden reduction --; Assessing non-living contaminants of concern --; A path forward for planetary protection in the 21st century --; Transition process and time line.

Recent spacecraft and robotic probes to Mars have yielded data that are changing our understanding significantly about the possibility of existing or past life on that planet. Coupled with advances in biology and life-detection techniques, these developments place increasing importance on the need to protect Mars from contamination by Earth-borne organisms. To help with this effort, NASA requested that the NRC examine existing planetary protection measures for Mars and recommend changes and further research to improve such measures. This report discusses policies, requirements, and techniques to protect Mars from organisms originating on Earth that could interfere with scientific investigations. It provides recommendations on cleanliness and biological burden levels of Mars-bound spacecraft, methods to reach those levels, and research to reduce uncertainties in preventing forward contamination of Mars.

Mars (Planet) -- Exploration.

Space flight to Mars.

Space microbiology.

Committee on Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars, Space Studies Borad, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council.

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars.

National Research Council (U.S.). Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences.

National Research Council (U.S.). Space Studies Board.

[Book]

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