Planetary protection

Planetary protection is the set of policies and practices that limits biological contamination between Earth and other celestial bodies. It seeks to protect extraterrestrial environments from Earth life and Earth from potentially harmful extraterrestrial material.

Forward contamination: The transfer of terrestrial organisms to another celestial body through spacecraft or human activity. This is the outward contamination planetary protection aims to prevent.
Mars sample-return mission: A mission designed to collect Martian material and deliver it to Earth for study. Returning Martian samples combines stringent outbound controls with containment on Earth.
Outer Space Treaty: A 1967 international treaty governing activities in outer space, including avoidance of harmful contamination. Its Article IX established the principal treaty obligation behind planetary protection.
Planetary defense: The detection and mitigation of hazards posed to Earth by asteroids and comets. Despite the similar name, it addresses impact threats rather than biological contamination.
Backward contamination: The introduction of extraterrestrial organisms or material into Earth's environment. This is the return risk addressed by sample containment and quarantine.
Mars exploration: Robotic and crewed missions that investigate Mars and its environment. Mars receives stringent controls because it may preserve evidence of past or present life.
Committee on Space Research: An international scientific organization that coordinates research across space science disciplines. COSPAR developed the widely used policy framework for mission contamination controls.
Space debris mitigation: Measures that reduce the creation and persistence of human-made debris in space. It manages physical pollution in orbit, not biological transfer between worlds.
Spacecraft sterilization: The reduction or elimination of microorganisms on spacecraft and their components. Cleaning and sterilization lower the biological burden sent to other worlds.
Europa Clipper: A NASA spacecraft mission that will investigate Jupiter's moon Europa during repeated flybys. Its design limits the chance that the spacecraft will contaminate Europa's potentially habitable ocean.

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