Protecting Our Investment in the Exploration and Utilization of Space

Space is the province of all humankind, a place to explore and to use. These facts are acknowledged in the United Nations Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (UN Space Treaty) of 1967. With this freedom comes the responsibility described in the same Treaty to conduct such activities with due regard to the corresponding interests of all Treaty signatories, to prevent harmful contamination of outer space and provide for the safety of Earth. Above all, the Treaty asks for international consultations to be undertaken before proceeding with any activity that might impinge on the interests of other parties to the Treaty. Here we provide detailed information with regard to how the international standard for planetary protection is maintained—and we invite Astrobiology readers and researchers to participate along with us in this important process.

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Council for Science (ICSU) has provided a forum for international consultation on matters of planetary protection since the beginning of the space age and has formulated a planetary protection policy as an international standard to guide compliance with the UN Space Treaty (Kminek and Rummel, 2015; UNOOSA, 2017). This standard is not a static document but is regularly updated in response to new discoveries, peer-reviewed scientific papers, reports of scientific groups such as the NASA Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), recommendations by science academies, and specific requests from space agencies. The process involves a large number of representatives of the scientific community and other stakeholders who are organized usually in national or international study and review teams, for example, in the frame of the US Space Studies Board (SSB) or the European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC). After a consensus is reached among the involved parties, a proposed update is formulated and submitted to the COSPAR Bureau and Council for review and adoption. The current COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy is not limited to robotic missions. Guidelines for human missions have been developed over the last decade and are currently being refined through an international discussion and deliberation process.

Therefore, we not only welcome an ongoing dialogue with the scientific community on matters of planetary protection, we depend on it as well. In particular, the astrobiological community is well represented in the scientific advisory and review teams that prepare the basis for any update of the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. The reason for this is very simple: the forward planetary protection constraints (going to various planets and moons) are in place to ensure that scientific interests related to the search for extraterrestrial life or any precursors are not compromised. The policy and the specific requirements in terms of levels of acceptable terrestrial contamination are set based on a consensus with representatives of the scientific community and not by an anonymous planetary protection community or by individuals.

As such we would like to invite all members of the scientific community to actively participate in the 42^nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly in 2018. This can be done through the submission of abstracts and attendance of the relevant panels, scientific commission sessions, and business meetings. Participation of the scientific community is vital to ensure that the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy best serves their needs and appropriately ensures the integrity of data and their interpretations.