Mars weather seen from the InSight lander. (Credit: NASA)
WASHINGTON (National Space Council PR) — Today, the National Space Council released the National Strategy for Planetary Protection. This Strategy will advance the Nation’s role in the sustainable exploration of space by appropriately protecting other planetary bodies and the Earth from potentially harmful biological contamination from space exploration activities.
Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the National Space Council Scott Pace, Ph.D., and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Kelvin Droegemeier, Ph.D., released the following statements:
Scott Pace, Ph.D., said: “Current and future missions to Mars and other destinations necessitate a strategy to support a safe, sustainable, and predictable Earth and space environment. By establishing objectives for the implementation of the 2020 National Space Policy’s direction on planetary protection, this strategy continues American leadership in scientific discovery, human exploration, and private sector space activities.”