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Planetary protection officer
[edit]A planetary protection officer (PPO) is the leading position in the planetary protection branch of NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA).[1][2] They are responsible for establishing the standards of sterilization for spacecraft components as well as the permitted degree of interaction between spacecraft instruments and the physical environments of other bodies in the solar system. These parameters are derived from NASA's established planetary protection requirements in compliance with international policy for planetary protection as dictated by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.[3]
History
[edit]In 1967, The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) signed the international Outer Space Treaty.[3] Article IX of the treaty dictates that all associated state parties must make appropriate efforts to avoid the contamination of celestial bodies. NASA policies 8020.7G and 8020.12D were established in compliance with the terms of the treaty, placing responsibility for applying planetary protection policy onto the associate administrator for space science, who then delegates to a Planetary Protection Officer.[4][5][6]
Known PPOs
[edit]John Rummel
- John Rummel is a marine biologist and former member of the NASA Advisory Council's Planetary Protection Subcommittee. He served two terms as Planetary Protection Officer, once from 1986 to 1993, and again from 1999 to 2006.[7]
- Initially a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center, Catharine Conley became NASA's Planetary Protection Officer in 2006. When the Planetary Protection Office relocated in 2017 the job was opened to competition and Conley was replaced with Lisa Pratt.
- Lisa Pratt is an astrobiologist at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. NASA appointed her as Planetary Protection Officer in 2018 and she presently maintains the position.[8]
Planetary protection
[edit]The term 'planetary protection' refers to the efforts of NASA and other space agencies to avoid contaminating other bodies in the solar system with organisms or organic material from Earth which may settle on the components of spacecraft bound for those bodies. This also includes similar efforts to prevent materials from other bodies, which may find their way onto a spacecraft during its mission, from contaminating the Earth.
Policies
[edit]NPD (NASA Policy Directive) 8020.7G
- Compliant with the planetary protection policies of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, this directive officially states that measures must be taken to mitigate organic contamination of spacecraft bound for other solar system bodies.[4]
NPR (NASA Procedural Requirements) 8020.12D
- This document details the specific standards a spacecraft must meet to satisfy planetary protection requirements as well as the necessary steps to be taken in the event that contamination of either Earth or another solar body becomes a possibility.[5]
Duties
[edit]A Planetary Protection Officer is responsible for upholding NASA's planetary protection policies and ensuring that all planned space flight missions follow them. They must act as an advisor to all matters involving planetary protection, including interacting with other organizations that share similar interests.[9]
Qualifications
[edit]Planetary Protection Officers must have extensive, demonstrable knowledge of planetary protection, as well as advanced engineering and technical expertise, and skills in diplomacy and making rational decisions in stressful or complex situations.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "OSMA Website Home". OSMA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "OSMA Planetary Protection". OSMA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "2222 (XXI). Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies". UNITED NATIONS Office for Outer Space Affairs. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Nasa Policy Directive 8020.7G". NASA Online Directive Information System Library. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "NASA Procedural Requirements 8020.12D". NASA Online Directive Information System Library. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Planetary Protection Policy—NASA and COSPAR". National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "John Rummel". SETI Institute. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Indiana University astrobiologist named planetary protection officer at NASA". Indiana University. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Planetary Protection Officer". USAJOBS. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)