{"id":171726,"date":"2021-02-05T21:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T18:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets\/"},"modified":"2021-02-05T21:00:39","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T18:00:39","slug":"space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets\/","title":{"rendered":"#\u2018Space law\u2019 helps prevent earth\u2019s microbes from polluting other planets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26b7b328a36\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26b7b328a36\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets\/#Planetary_protection\" >Planetary protection<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets\/#The_laws\" >The laws<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets\/#Non-governmental_spaceflight\" >Non-governmental spaceflight<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets\/#The_future\" >The future<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#\u2018Space law\u2019 helps prevent earth\u2019s microbes from polluting other planets<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            There are two planned Mars landings in 2021. First, NASA\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/mars-2020-the-hunt-for-life-on-the-red-planet-is-about-to-get-serious-143698\">Perseverance rover<\/a> is due to land on the planet later this month. Then China\u2019s Tianwen rover will follow in May. Both missions intend to search the planet for signs of life.<\/p>\n<p>But how do we make sure when our landers touch down on the red planet\u2019s surface, nothing unwanted is landing with them? If we aren\u2019t careful, we could be spreading all sorts of life \u2013 like in 2019, when a spacecraft <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/tardigrades-were-now-polluting-the-moon-with-near-indestructible-little-creatures-121602\">crashed onto the moon\u2019s surface<\/a> with a cargo of tiny, almost indestructible lifeforms called tardigrades.<\/p>\n<p>The good thing is, we have policies and laws to prevent this from h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening. In fact, there\u2019s an entire section of space law, called planetary protection, designed to prevent planets, moons, comets, and asteroids from being contaminated.<\/p>\n<p>For 50 years, governmental organizations have stuck to the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly accepted rules and laws. But they are no longer the only players in the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>. An increasing number of commercial space missions are taking off.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"A microscopic image showing dozens of individual bacterial cells.\" width=\"600\" height=\"473\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=473&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=473&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=473&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=594&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=594&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382427\/original\/file-20210204-14-m44gdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=594&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/space\/2021\/02\/05\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F02%2F05%2Fspace-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: This bacteria was only found in two clean rooms. NASA\/JPL-Caltech, CC BY\" data-title=\"Share This bacteria was only found in two clean rooms. NASA\/JPL-Caltech, CC BY on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share This bacteria was only found in two clean rooms. NASA\/JPL-Caltech, CC BY on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>This bacteria was only found in two clean rooms. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/images\/novel-bacterial-genus-found-only-in-spacecraft-assembly-clean-rooms\">NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Planetary_protection\"><\/span>Planetary protection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are two variants of planetary protection, called forwards and backward. The former concerns the contamination of other planets by material taken from Earth. This protects any life that may be on those planets, of course. But it also means scientists can be reasonably certain any signs of life they discover are actually signs of \u201cextraterrestrial\u201d life and not transplanted from Earth.<\/p>\n<p>To achieve this, the rooms in which spacecraft are made and put together are some of the cleanest places on Earth. The facilities are regularly tested for any biological contamination and often throw up surprising results. In 2013 a completely <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/images\/novel-bacterial-genus-found-only-in-spacecraft-assembly-clean-rooms\">new type of bacteria<\/a> was found in two clean rooms around 4,000km (2,500 miles) apart. The life form, which survives on eating very little, was found nowhere else on Earth.<\/p>\n<p><em>[Read:\u00a0<span dir=\"auto\">How much does it cost to buy, own, and run an EV? It\u2019s not as much as you think<\/span>]<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Backward contamination is preventing Earth from being contaminated by extraterrestrial material that has hitched a ride back. In 1969, when the Apollo 11 astronauts landed back on Earth, they spent three weeks in quarantine to make sure they didn\u2019t bring anything dangerous back from the moon. Neil Armstrong even celebrated <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/50-years-ago-armstrong-celebrates-birthday-in-quarantine\/\">his 39th birthday<\/a> in there.<\/p>\n<p>We have since learned much more about the moon, and it\u2019s generally considered to be microbe-free. The chances of bringing anything back to Earth would be much greater if missions were to bring samples, or humans, back from Mars.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"Apollo 11 astronauts in a small metal quarantine facility, with President Richard M. Nixon speaking to them from outside.\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382428\/original\/file-20210204-16-1lx9lp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/space\/2021\/02\/05\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F02%2F05%2Fspace-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Nixon welcomed the quarantining astronauts. NASA, CC BY\" data-title=\"Share Nixon welcomed the quarantining astronauts. NASA, CC BY on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Nixon welcomed the quarantining astronauts. NASA, CC BY on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Nixon welcomed the quarantining astronauts. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/topics\/people\/galleries\/armstrong_july1969_3.html\">NASA<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_laws\"><\/span>The laws<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Planetary protection has a long history. The committee on space research (COSPAR), an international non-governmental organization, began discussing it as early as the 1950s, when planned missions to the moon raised concerns about the potential for contamination to effect later scientific investigations.<\/p>\n<p>Since then COSPAR\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/drafts\/154285\/edit\">planetary protection policy,<\/a> with its scientific guidelines and recommendations, has become the internationally recognized \u201cgold standard.\u201d It categorizes planets and moons based on their potential for life or signs of life, past or present. The greater the potential for life, the greater the protective measures. By this categorization, Mars is better protected than the moon.<\/p>\n<p>This means missions to higher category bodies require more sterilization to ensure fewer potential contaminates <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>. It can also affect end-of-life-plans for missions. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-first-results-from-the-juno-mission-are-in-and-they-already-challenge-our-understanding-of-jupiter-78203\">NASA\u2019s Juno probe <\/a> will be crashed into Jupiter this July in order to avoid potential contamination of Europa or any of the other moons.<\/p>\n<p>But as the product of a non-governmental organization, the COSPAR policy is not legally binding. It\u2019s what lawyers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vr-elibrary.de\/doi\/book\/10.7767\/boehlau.9783205791850\">refer to as \u201csoft law.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0This means it doesn\u2019t have the force of a legally binding agreement but is still recognized as an important guideline that should be followed.<\/p>\n<p>That said, we do have an obligation under international law to avoid the harmful contamination of outer space, the moon, and other celestial bodies, as well as the Earth. This is due to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unoosa.org\/oosa\/en\/ourwork\/spacelaw\/treaties\/introouterspacetreaty.html\">Outer Space Treaty of 1967.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While the treaty states \u201charmful contamination\u201d should be avoided, it does not define what this means. However, the past 50 years establishes a fairly strong expectation that future missions will also comply with these principles.<\/p>\n<p>On top of this, there\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> and moral aspect to the obligation. Space scientists expect missions to comply with the planetary protection principles. To not do so risk condemnation from the scientific community.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Non-governmental_spaceflight\"><\/span>Non-governmental spaceflight<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The days of space beyond Earth orbit only being explored by government scientific operations are coming to a close. Private companies are increasingly venturing further away from our planet. The lunar landing attempt in 2019 that potentially contaminated the moon was by a private company, called SpaceIL. Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX is aiming to launch missions to Mars.<\/p>\n<p>This doesn\u2019t mean space will become a lawless wild west, because states are responsible for the activities of their nationals in outer space. They\u2019re required to authorize and continually supervise these activities. If the damage is done, it\u2019s the state that is liable, not the private company. But many states include insurance policies as part of granting a license.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"A SpaceX rocket being fired.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/382432\/original\/file-20210204-18-1t8jtj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/space\/2021\/02\/05\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F02%2F05%2Fspace-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: SpaceX is aiming for Mars. SpaceX, CC BY-NC\" data-title=\"Share SpaceX is aiming for Mars. SpaceX, CC BY-NC on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share SpaceX is aiming for Mars. SpaceX, CC BY-NC on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>SpaceX is aiming for Mars. SpaceX, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_future\"><\/span>The future<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s difficult to predict how this will play out, particularly given the limited directly relevant precedent. However, the general approach taken so far by the US government is encouraging. Recently, NASA updated its <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov\/OPD_docs\/NID_8715_129_.pdf\">planetary protection policy <\/a>to explicitly stipulate it is the implementation of the US\u2019 obligations under the Outer Space Treaty.<\/p>\n<p>Based on this, it\u2019s reasonable to assume any license granted by the US would require they adhere to the NASA planetary protection policy, which broadly aligns with the COPSAR policy.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t guaranteed to be maintained forever. Attempts in the US Congress to potentially exempt private actors from planetary protection requirements <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.senate.gov\/services\/files\/23f40c25-8e23-40ca-9054-ea2431c92f52\">have already happened<\/a>, as part of a bill in 2018 to reduce the \u201cregulatory burden\u201d on the commercial space industry. The efforts failed, but those who supported it may try again.<\/p>\n<p>Planetary protection is important for maintaining the scientific value of outer space. But scientific interest is not the only reason for exploring outer space \u2013 there are many others. Where the balance lies will need to be considered, but it\u2019s a debate that needs wide participation.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/154652\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/thomas-cheney-1053396\">Thomas Cheney<\/a>, Lecturer of Space Governance, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/the-open-university-748\">The Open University<\/a> is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/mars-how-scientists-prevent-earths-microbes-from-contaminating-other-planets-154652\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/space\/2021\/02\/05\/space-law-helps-prevent-earths-microbes-from-polluting-other-planets-syndication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#\u2018Space law\u2019 helps prevent earth\u2019s microbes from polluting other planets&#8221; There are two planned Mars landings in 2021. First, NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover is due to land on the planet later this month. Then China\u2019s Tianwen rover will follow in May. Both missions intend to search the planet for signs of life. But how do we&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":171727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/02\/1-copy-16.jpg&signature=70ca15a8cd9ca809eafc07a8869dca87","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[35550,55229,5026,4999,5019,70759],"class_list":["post-171726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-bacteria","tag-law","tag-nasa","tag-policy","tag-space","tag-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}