At the 48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, held July 8-12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, scientists presented current progress in addressing planetary protection requirements for human missions beyond Earth. Since 2012, NASA and the Committee on Space Research of the International Council for Science (COSPAR) have been working to identify knowledge gaps related to planetary protection. Through a series of workshops, a multi-year process is being developed to identify, prioritize, and plan the research and technology development necessary for humans to safely explore distant locations like Mars. Because the potential for past or present life on worlds like Mars is not fully understood, these locations require stringent planetary protection requirements to prevent any potential forward or backward contamination.

The paper, “Planetary Protection Knowledge Gaps for Future Mars Human Missions: Stepwise Progress in Identiying and Integrating Science and Technology Needs,” is available in the Proceedings of the 48th International Conference on Environmental Systems. For more information on Planetary Protection at NASA, visit: http://planetaryprotection.nasa.gov/. Information on programs and research areas supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program can be found at: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/research/astrobiology-at-nasa/.