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This scene from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks back toward part of the west rim of Endeavour Crater that the rover drove along, heading southward, during the summer of 2014.

Has NASA’s Curiosity rover taken dormant microbes to Mars?

The solar arrays on NASA's InSight lander are deployed in this test inside a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. This configuration is how the spacecraft will look on the surface of Mars. The image was taken on April 30, 2015.

About Image

This scene from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity looks back toward part of the west rim of Endeavour Crater that the rover drove along, heading southward, during the summer of 2014.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.

A self portrait of the Curiosity rover on Mars.NASA/JPL–Caltech/MSSS

The solar arrays on NASA's InSight lander are deployed in this test inside a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. This configuration is how the spacecraft will look on the surface of Mars. The image was taken on April 30, 2015.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lockheed Martin

Oct. 7, 2021

Feature Story

New Report on Bioburden Requirements for Mars

National Academies report identifies new approach for some Mars missions

Posted byAaron GronstalSourceNational Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) of the United States has released a new report that outlines suggested criteria for robotic missions to Mars. The report identifies certain locations where less restrictive ‘bioburden’ requirements could be implemented for future missions. Such restrictions are in place for planetary protection reasons: to prevent the unintentional transport of microorganisms from Earth to Mars.

The study was sponsored by NASA and undertaken by the NASEM Committee on Planetary Protection. An article discussing the study’s results is available from the NASEM website by clicking here.

The report, Evaluation of Bioburden Requirements for Mars Missions (2021) is available from the National Academies at: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/26336/report-series-committee-on-planetary-protection-evaluation-of-bioburden-requirements.