Under U.S. policy and international treaty, the goals of planetary protection are to avoid both adverse changes in Earth’s environment caused by introduc
The ultimate goal of planetary protection for outbound missions is to prevent harmful contamination that would inhibit future measurements designed to search fo
The goal of planetary protection is to control, to the degree possible, the biological cross-contamination of planetary bodies. Guidelines developed by the Comm
Protecting Earth's environment and other solar system bodies from harmful contamination has been an important principle throughout the history of space explorat
Solar system exploration is in an extraordinary state of expansion. Scientific capabilities to search for evidence of extant or relic life outside Earthâ€"am