Representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency and the space agencies of China, Japan and India, as well as private companies, have gathered in the UK to discuss methods for responsible exploration of other planets. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the best methods to protect once morest contamination of the Earth by extraterrestrial life forms, as well as to protect other worlds from terrestrial microorganisms. International Planetary Defense Week is organized by the Royal Society of London. It began on April 22 and will last until April 26, writes the BBC.
Organizers of the first International Planetary Defense Week, including the Open University’s Karen Olsson-Francis, say the issue is critical given the recent rise in space exploration.
Protecting the Earth from extraterrestrial life and vice versa, protecting other worlds, such as Mars, from earthly life may sound like the plot of some Hollywood movie, but in fact, scientists have been studying this issue for many years.
Sterilization and carefully controlled cleanrooms are used in spacecraft construction to minimize the risk of direct contamination, where bacteria, viruses, fungi or spores on equipment might disrupt the biosphere on other planets and moons in the solar system.
When samples are returned from space to Earth, similar techniques are used to prevent back contamination that might have detrimental effects on our planet. The higher the likelihood that a spacecraft landing site might support local life, the more stringent the planetary protection conditions.
For example, landing and drilling on the surface of Mars will require significantly more security efforts than going into solar orbit. The event is attended by space agencies, scientists and representatives of the commercial space sector.
According to Olsson-Francis, protecting the planet is a matter of scientific integrity. She believes this will ensure that we can answer some of the most fundamental questions regarding how life evolved on Earth and whether there is any potentially extant or extinct life elsewhere in the solar system.
Olsson-Francis says we need to act now to make sure we don’t cause any harmful damage in space.
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2024-04-23 09:04:33
