NASA’s Planetary Protection vs Planetary Purity Law
As space exploration is becoming more advanced and affordable, concerns about contaminating other planets with Earth's bacteria have come to light. To tackle this issue, NASA has put into place the Planetary Protection (PP) policy. However, a new law called the Planetary Purity Law (PPL) is now being proposed, which raises some questions. In this blog post, we'll compare these two policies to understand their similarities and differences.
NASA's Planetary Protection Policy
NASA's Planetary Protection policy was established in 1967 to prevent contamination of other worlds and to protect Earth from potential extraterrestrial life. The policy mandates that all spacecraft and missions must be appropriately sterilized before launch. Planetary Protection also requires that all spacecraft that come in contact with, or land on, another planet or moon, must adhere to strict guidelines to prevent contamination.
To adhere to these guidelines, spacecraft must undergo several phases of cleaning and sterilization before launch, which can take years to ensure the cleanliness. In addition, the policy requires that spacecraft remain in an orbit or be decontaminated before leaving their orbit to prevent contamination of other planets and moons.
Planetary Purity Law
The proposed Planetary Purity Law (PPL) is a new approach that focuses on preventing the spread of Earth's invasive species to other planets. The law aims to protect the natural ecosystems of other planets and moons by mandating that any cargo, including people, plants, and animals, must be entirely indigenous to Earth.
Comparison
The major difference between the two policies is that NASA's Planetary Protection policy aims to prevent contamination of other planets with Earth's bacteria and other microbes, while the Planetary Purity Law aims to prevent the spread of Earth's invasive species on other planets.
When it comes to environmental impact, NASA's Planetary Protection policy has a broader perspective. If a spacecraft is not appropriately sterilized, it could potentially contaminate the ecosystem of another planet and make it difficult to detect any extraterrestrial life. On the other hand, the Planetary Purity Law focuses on preventing the spread of Earth's invasive species on other planets.
Conclusion
In conclusion, NASA's Planetary Protection policy and the Planetary Purity Law are both essential for protecting other worlds from contamination. The Planetary Protection policy aims to keep alien lifeforms safe from Earth's microbes, while the Planetary Purity Law is proposed to prevent Earth's invasive species from contaminating other planets. Both policies have their strengths and weaknesses, and their effectiveness depends on the mission's objectives.
It's crucial to find a balance between exploration and extraterrestrial protection to ensure that we don't end up altering the environment of other planets. We need to learn more about the universe, but we also need to be careful not to cause unintended harm in the process.
References
- NASA's Planetary Protection Policy: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary_protection.html
- Planetary Purity Law: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273117720304431