NASA's policies to protect the solar system from contamination are out of date

Whether rovers rolling on Mars, probes piercing asteroids or Tesla Roadsters drifting in the air In space, it is clear that the solar system is changing. According to a new report to NASA, the methods and rules to prevent the spread of our germs beyond Earth must be updated.

NASA's current policies against contaminations according to a report published this week by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM). The report, titled "Review and Assessment of Global Protection Policy Processes," states that the current processes and rules are "inadequate to meet more and more solar system exploration missions." complex ", particularly in the present era. Doubt, the spread of our microbes to other planets, moons, asteroids and comets is absolutely not cool. Involuntary and involuntary contamination of other celestial objects by life-forms – bacteria, viruses or tiny organisms such as tardigrades – would make it virtually impossible to detect extraterrestrial life on nearby celestial bodies; By exploring the sandy surface of Mars or the underground oceans of Enceladus or Europe, astrobiologists would find it difficult to distinguish native life from the original life of the Earth. The presence of DNA on another planet or moon does not guarantee that it comes from the Earth because this self-replicative molecule can constitute a fundamental building block of life across the entire cosmos. The return of a space mission, say a probe with samples of Mars or an asteroid, could threaten life on Earth. It's unlikely, but we just do not know the risks.

Scientists are aware of the problem of contamination from the front and back since we started firing our rockets into space. In 1967, the United Nations forged the "Treaty on Outer Space", of which the United States is a signatory. The countries bound by the treaty "must pursue studies on space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, and explore them in order to avoid their dangerous contamination, as well as adverse changes in Earth's environment resulting from the introduction of extraterrestrials. As indicated in Article IX of the Treaty. Nice words, but the treatise was rare on the details.

To keep its space instruments clean, NASA refers to the guidelines established by the Space Research Committee, an international organization otherwise known as COSPAR. NASA currently has a planetary protection office to make sure that it follows COSPAR guidelines, but these rules are not legally binding and nothing apart from the scientific ethic , prevents NASA from getting lost.

It is for these and other reasons that the NASEM Committee says that NASA is not ready to face future missions such as Mars Sample Return and trips to explore the Icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, according to the report. In addition, NASA has not developed a global protection policy that speaks of a human mission on Mars, which could happen as early as the 2030s.

"In addition, the current US government process to monitor the samples from Mars and from elsewhere back to the Apollo era and is out of date, "according to a NASEM press release. "The committee recommended that NASA's strategic plan for global protection prepare for the policy development challenges of returning samples and human missions to Mars, and revises or replaces its provisions to engage relevant federal agencies to develop protection policies. The NASEM committee says that NASA should still honor the Outer Space Treaty and the role played by COSPAR, but in addition, the space agency should develop a plan to manage its space policy. planetary protection. external experts, and develop long-term forecasts for future missions to other planets, among other recommendations.

The report also mentions the private sector, which plays an increasingly important role in the way we explore space.

"Private sector space exploration is another reason why global protection policies need to be re-examined," the authors write. "The only commercial space missions that currently have to undergo rigorous decontamination procedures are those that could go to Mars, because Mars is the only entity of current interest for private sector entities that is potentially capable of managing the same. to shelter life. "

In light of this, the NASEM Committee recommends that global protection policies and efforts to prevent contamination from the front and back apply equally well to government-sponsored missions to the private sector. According to the report, the US government will be responsible for enforcing these standards to private companies. Good luck with that.

This report is welcome, given the leadership of NASA and the private sector over the next few decades. These recommendations make sense, at least for the moment. Of course, NASA should update its policies and practices, and the private sector should follow, but it is unclear if this will work, especially in the long run. As we venture farther into space, there is a good chance that we will end up contaminating another world, despite our best intentions.

We may not win this battle, but it's worth fighting.

[National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine]