Principles
Principles
In addition to goals and objectives, the NASA Roadmap emphasizes four operating principles that are integral to the Astrobiology Program.
Principle 1:
Astrobiology is multidisciplinary, and achieving our goals will require
the cooperation of different scientific disciplines and programs.
Principle 2: Astrobiology encourages planetary stewardship, through an emphasis on protection against biological contamination and recognition of the ethical issues surrounding the export of terrestrial life beyond Earth.
Principle 3: Astrobiology recognizes a broad societal interest in our subject, especially in areas such as the search for extraterrestrial life and the potential to engineer new life forms adapted to live on other worlds.
Principle 4: In view of the intrinsic excitement and wide public interest in our subject, Astrobiology includes a strong element of education and public outreach.