CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection Andre Debus Planetary Protection Advisor CNES - 18, avenue Edouard Belin, 31 401 Toulouse cedex 9 – France E-mail: [email protected] Photo sources : ESA, CNES, NASA, Institut Meyrieux-Pasteur CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 1 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection ORIGIN OF PLANETARY PROTECTION (1) UNITED NATIONS Treaty on principles governing the activities of states in the exploration and use of outer space, including the Mon and other celestial bodies - article 9 (“Outer Space Treaty - OST ”), 1966. "States Parties to the Treaty shall pursue studies of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, and conduct exploration of them so as to avoid their harmful contamination and also adverse changes in the environment of the Earth resulting from the introduction of extraterrestrial matter , and where necessary, shall adopt appropriate measures for this purpose" Protection of Solar System bodies other than the Earth (prevention of forward contamination ) against « harmful contamination (?) » Protection of our Earth environment (prevention of backward contamination ) Ratification in 1967 by almost any space faring nations CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 2 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection ORIGIN OF PLANETARY PROTECTION (2) UNITED NATIONS Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies - article 7 (“ Moon Treaty ”), 1979 “In exploring the Moon (and other Solar System Bodies) States Parties to the Treaty shall prevent the disruption of the existing balance of its environment, whether by introducing adverse changes in that environment, by its harmful contamination through the introduction of extra-environmental matter or otherwise . States Parties shall also take measures to avoid harmfully affecting the environment of the Earth ...” Protection of Solar System bodies other than the Earth (prevention of forward contamination ) against environmental harm. Protection of our Earth environment (prevention of backward contamination ) Ratified (or signed) by only a few States (not ratified by USA and Russia, in EU, ratification by Austria and the Netherlands, signature of France in 1980 only) CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 3 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection What is the situation on Mars ? Since 1962: 28 missions sent toward Mars 5 / 6 tons of terrestrial materials on the surface of Mars Surface of Mars: 144 millions of km 2 Contamination: a few micrograms / km 2 Located, amount known, removable # 2 tons of terrestrial gas in the atmosphere of Mars Mars atmosphere: 25 000 0000 millions of tons of gas Contamination: around 10 -4 ppb Disseminated, amount known Contamination with hardware and gas remains negligible, pratically 0 at the planet scale Biological Contamination ? Survival ? Duplication ? (amount unknown) Colonization ? (dissemination) CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 4 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection Outer space is an hostile environment Vacuum Solar radiations (electrons, protons) Cosmic radiations (heavy ions) + 200 °C UV radiations --200 °C VENUS MARS JUPITER No UV filtration Rain H SO 100 bars 2 4 -20 / -120 °C + 450 °C 6 mb at ground level -150 °C No liquid water CNES DCT/DAAndré Debus - COPUOS – PP ISMSE 2007 06 -- 5 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection Nevertheless …… TERRESTRIAL LIFE Can survive in space (bacterial spores, Moon, Space Stations, LDEF, Biopan, …etc) Is able to survive to a sejourn on another Solar System body (Apollo) Is able to adapt to extreme conditions (extremophiles) Can wait during tenths to hundreds millions of years (Vostok lake) Capable of contamination (forward Contamination) Backward Contamination ? What are the requirements ? CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 6 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection The COSPAR COSPAR is observer for the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS). It responds to requests from the UN to carry out specific studies and reports on space research through international teams of experts The present COSPAR policy is the following : ” Although the existence of life elsewhere in the solar system may be unlikely, the conduct of scientific investigations of possible extraterrestrial life forms, precursors, and remnants must not be jeopardized . In addition, the Earth must be protected from the potential hazard posed by extraterrestrial matter carried by a spacecraft returning from another planet. ” Protection of Solar System bodies other than the Earth (prevention of forward contamination ) in order to protect science (interpretation of harmful contamination by the COSPAR). Protection of our Earth (prevention of backward contamination ) CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 7 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection MISSION CATEGORIZATION (according to the COSPAR Policy) COSPAR emits Planetary Protection Recommendations depending on : the target body the type of mission forward contamination depends on the Fly-by, orbiters, landers probability of survival and proliferation of terrestrial microorganisms in each planetary environment condition) 5 categories (combinations target body – mission type) are presently defined (updates every 2 years) CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 8 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection MISSION CATEGORIZATION Category 1 2 3 4 5 Prevention of Forward contamination Back Biological interest No Significant Significant Significant Probability of Any Remote Significant Significant Unknown contamination Type of mission Any Any Orbiter / Fly-by Lander Earth Return Jupiter Mars Mars Earth-Moon Mercury Saturn Europa Europa System Venus Uranus Moon Neptune Sun Pluto Asteroids Comets (except C) C-asteroids Range of requirements CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 9 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection PLANETARY PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION Forward Contamination Prevention (Category 3 /4 mission) Limitation on crash probability for orbiters (trajectory biaising, quarantine orbit) / Biological decontamination of of space system not meeting the non-crash probability Bioburden reduction / sterilization of landed space hardware (Cat3 / Cat4) Biocleaning / sterilization Microbiological controls Aseptic integration CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 10 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection PLANETARY PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION Backward Contamination Prevention Sample hermetic containment . Hermeticity shall be demonstrated in flight before Earth re-entry Contact chain shall be broken as long as sterilization is not applicable (proven method is required) Safe Earth landing and recovery Sample quarantine - Life detection - Biohazard testing High security laboratories (BSL4 / P4 facility) for the analysis of samples CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 11 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection ACTIVITIES and INVOLVEMENT Experiences on ° Mars 96 (CNES with Russia), help from the NASA ° Mars Express-Beagle2 (ESA), implementation reviewed by CNES on ESA demand ° Mars PREMIER (CNES with NASA) ° Involved in Aurora / Exomars with ESA Ï Studies done and planned: ° Sterilization methods wrt H/W (CNES: Mars96, MSL09, Exomars) ° Dry heat sterilization under low pressure (heat shield during Mars entry, 2002) ° Bioassessement under Ariane 5 fairing (2004), ° Extraterrestrial sample analysis protocols and quarantine facility (with NASA, 2000) ° Biocontamination modelization in cleanrooms, on Herschel whole AIT (in work, with ESA) Ï Ethical Work at CNES (1998/99). Ethical WG on Planetary Protection, nominated by ESA, under UNESCO auspice. CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 12 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection ACTIVITIES and INVOLVEMENT Space Agency level PP requirements : CNES PP standard on PP requirements exists since 2003) and has proposed to build a ESA doc (including PP policy). Doc written and at delegates approbation level presently. ECSS working group : initiated by CNES, works with ESA and European partners in order to define European PP standards (CNES PP standard exists since 2003). Presently, joined work with ESA inside a PPWG handled by ESA since 2003 in order to prepare the future programs and to support the Aurora program (policy and organisation, specifications to projects, definition of R §T activities, expertise, reviews, training courses on PP jointly with NASA). Works with ESA and NASA at COSPAR (PP panel) in order to update the planetary protection recommendations (with scientists). CNES Regulation : Compliance with PP regulation mandatory at launch for missions involving France and for missions launched from Kourou. CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 13 CNES INVOLVEMENT IN PLANETARY PROTECTION Planetary Protection Andre Debus Planetary Protection Advisor CNES - 18, avenue Edouard Belin, 31 401 Toulouse cedex 9 – France E-mail: [email protected] CNES DCT/DA - COPUOS 2007 - 14.