Review of the MEPAG report on Mars special regions / National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.).

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mars (Planet)--Exploration.

Mars (Planet).

Mars (Planet)--Surface.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (80 p.)

Place of Publication:

Washington, District of Columbia : The National Academies Press, 2015.

Summary:

Planetary protection is a guiding principle in the design of an interplanetary mission, aiming to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth. The protection of high-priority science goals, the search for life and the understanding of the Martian organic environment may be compromised if Earth microbes carried by spacecraft are grown and spread on Mars. This has led to the definition of Special Regions on Mars where strict planetary protection measures have to be applied before a spacecraft can enter these areas. At NASA's request, the community-based Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) established the Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2) in October 2013 to examine the quantitative definition of a Special Region and proposed modifications to it, as necessary, based upon the latest scientific results. Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions reviews the conclusions and recommendations contained in MEPAG's SR-SAG2 report and assesses their consistency with current understanding of both the Martian environment and the physical and chemical limits for the survival and propagation of microbial and other life on Earth. This report provides recommendations for an update of the planetary protection requirements for Mars Special Regions.

Contents:

FrontMatter; Preface; Contents; Executive Summary; 1 Planetary Protection and Mars Special Regions; 2 The Assessment of the Potential of Terrestrial Lifeforms to Survive and Proliferate on Mars in the Next 500 Years; 3 Martian Geological and Mineralogical Features Potentially Related to Special Regions; 4 Human Spaceflight; 5 Generalization of Special Regions and the Utility of Maps; 6 Summary; 7 Additional Considerations; References; Appendixes; Appendix A: Suggestions for Future Research; Appendix B: MEPAG SR-SAG2 Findings, Revisions, and Updates; Appendix C: Glossary

Appendix D: Letter Requesting This StudyAppendix E: Committee and Staff Biographical Information

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF cover (ebrary, viewed March 18, 2016).

ISBN:

9780309379076

0309379075

9780309379052

0309379059