Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309478650
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-10-17 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Protecting Earth's environment and other solar system bodies from harmful contamination has been an important principle throughout the history of space exploration. For decades, the scientific, political, and economic conditions of space exploration converged in ways that contributed to effective development and implementation of planetary protection policies at national and international levels. However, the future of space exploration faces serious challenges to the development and implementation of planetary protection policy. The most disruptive changes are associated with (1) sample return from, and human missions to, Mars; and (2) missions to those bodies in the outer solar system possessing water oceans beneath their icy surfaces. Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes addresses the implications of changes in the complexion of solar system exploration as they apply to the process of developing planetary protection policy. Specifically, this report examines the history of planetary protection policy, assesses the current policy development process, and recommends actions to improve the policy development process in the future.

Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309676495
Total Pages : 89 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-11-19 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of planetary protection is to control, to the degree possible, the biological cross-contamination of planetary bodies. Guidelines developed by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) are used by all spacefaring nations to guide their preparations for encounters with solar system bodies. NASA's Science Mission Directorate has convened the Planetary Protection Independent Review Board (PPIRB) to consider updating the COSPAR guidelines given the growing interest from commercial and private groups in exploration and utilization of Mars and other bodies in space. At the request of NASA, this publication reviews the findings of the PPIRB and comments on their consistency with the recommendations of the recent National Academies report Review and Assessment of the Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes.

The Goals, Rationales, and Definition of Planetary Protection

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309461626
Total Pages : 35 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis The Goals, Rationales, and Definition of Planetary Protection by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book The Goals, Rationales, and Definition of Planetary Protection written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar system exploration is in an extraordinary state of expansion. Scientific capabilities to search for evidence of extant or relic life outside Earthâ€"among the principal goals of solar system explorationâ€"are advancing rapidly. In this time of rapid transition in exploring solar system bodies, the importance of reexamining planetary protection policies, including the need for clarity in how NASA establishes such policies, has become more urgent. Overall, this study seeks to review the current state of planetary protection policy development, assess the responsiveness of the policy development process to contemporary and anticipated needs, and recommend actions that might assure the effectiveness of NASA's future coordination and execution of planetary protection. This interim report focuses on the goals of and rationales for planetary protection policies and suggests a working definition of planetary protection consistent with those goals. It does not address future commercial planetary missions, human missions to planetary bodies, or roles and responsibilities for implementing policies, but these issues will be addressed in the final report.

Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309379040
Total Pages : 81 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)

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Book Synopsis Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions by : European Science Foundation

Download or read book Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions written by European Science Foundation and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-01-15 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Report Series: Committee on Planetary Protection

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309162009
Total Pages : 63 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Report Series: Committee on Planetary Protection by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Report Series: Committee on Planetary Protection written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-12-29 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Under U.S. policy and international treaty, the goals of planetary protection are to avoid both adverse changes in Earth’s environment caused by introducing extraterrestrial matter and harmful contamination of solar system bodies in order to protect their biological integrity for scientific study. The United States has long cooperated with other countries and relevant scientific communities through the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Council for Science in developing planetary protection guidance for different categories of space missions. In the past, achieving planetary protection objectives through science-based, international-consensus guidelines proved relatively straightforward because a small number of spacefaring nations explored the solar system, predominantly through government-led and scientifically focused robotic missions. However, interest in, and the capabilities to undertake, exploration and uses of outer space are evolving and expanding. More countries are engaging in space activities. Private-sector involvement is increasing. Planning is under way for human as well as robotic missions. As recent advisory reports have highlighted, the changes in the nature of space activities create unprecedented challenges for planetary protection. This publication responds to NASA’s request for “a short report on the impact of human activities on lunar polar volatiles (e.g., water, carbon dioxide, and methane) and the scientific value of protecting the surface and subsurface regions of the Earth’s Moon from organic and biological contamination.†It provides an overview of the current scientific understanding, value, and potential threat of organic and biological contamination of permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), lunar research relevant to understanding prebiotic evolution and the origin of life, and the likelihood that spacecraft landing on the lunar surface will transfer volatiles to polar cold traps. It also assesses how much and which regions of the Moon’s surface and subsurface warrant protection from organic and biological contamination because of their scientific value.

Planet Formation and Panspermia

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Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119640938
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (196 download)

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Book Synopsis Planet Formation and Panspermia by : Joseph Seckbach

Download or read book Planet Formation and Panspermia written by Joseph Seckbach and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-09-27 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth view of the panspermia hypothesis examined against the latest knowledge of planetary formation and related processes. Panspermia is the concept that life can be passively transported through space on various bodies and seed, habitable planets and moons, which we are beginning to learn may exist in large numbers. It is an old idea, but not popular with those who prefer that life on Earth started on Earth, an alternative, also unproven hypothesis. This book updates the concept of panspermia in the light of new evidence on planet formation, molecular clouds, solar system motions, supernovae ejection mechanisms, etc. Thus, it is to be a book about newly understood prospects for the movement of life through space. The novel approach presented in this book gives new insights into the panspermia theory and its connection with planetary formation and the evolution of galaxies. This offers a good starting point for future research proposals about exolife and a better perspective for empirical scrutiny of panspermia theory. Also, the key to understanding life in the universe is to understand that the planetary formation process is convolved with the evolution of stellar systems in their galactic environment. The book provides the synthesis of all these elements and gives the readers an up-to-date insight on how panspermia might fit into the big picture. Audience Given the intrinsic interdisciplinary nature of the panspermia hypothesis the book will have a wide audience across various scientific disciplines covering astronomy, biology, physics and chemistry. Apart from scientists, the book will appeal to engineers who are involved in planning and realization of future space missions.

Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309478685
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-09-17 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Protecting Earth's environment and other solar system bodies from harmful contamination has been an important principle throughout the history of space exploration. For decades, the scientific, political, and economic conditions of space exploration converged in ways that contributed to effective development and implementation of planetary protection policies at national and international levels. However, the future of space exploration faces serious challenges to the development and implementation of planetary protection policy. The most disruptive changes are associated with (1) sample return from, and human missions to, Mars; and (2) missions to those bodies in the outer solar system possessing water oceans beneath their icy surfaces. Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes addresses the implications of changes in the complexion of solar system exploration as they apply to the process of developing planetary protection policy. Specifically, this report examines the history of planetary protection policy, assesses the current policy development process, and recommends actions to improve the policy development process in the future.

Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309676525
Total Pages : 89 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of planetary protection is to control, to the degree possible, the biological cross-contamination of planetary bodies. Guidelines developed by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) are used by all spacefaring nations to guide their preparations for encounters with solar system bodies. NASA's Science Mission Directorate has convened the Planetary Protection Independent Review Board (PPIRB) to consider updating the COSPAR guidelines given the growing interest from commercial and private groups in exploration and utilization of Mars and other bodies in space. At the request of NASA, this publication reviews the findings of the PPIRB and comments on their consistency with the recommendations of the recent National Academies report Review and Assessment of the Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes.

Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 030909724X
Total Pages : 166 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars by : National Research Council

Download or read book Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-04-22 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent spacecraft and robotic probes to Mars have yielded data that are changing our understanding significantly about the possibility of existing or past life on that planet. Coupled with advances in biology and life-detection techniques, these developments place increasing importance on the need to protect Mars from contamination by Earth-borne organisms. To help with this effort, NASA requested that the NRC examine existing planetary protection measures for Mars and recommend changes and further research to improve such measures. This report discusses policies, requirements, and techniques to protect Mars from organisms originating on Earth that could interfere with scientific investigations. It provides recommendations on cleanliness and biological burden levels of Mars-bound spacecraft, methods to reach those levels, and research to reduce uncertainties in preventing forward contamination of Mars.

Strategic Investments in Instrumentation and Facilities for Extraterrestrial Sample Curation and Analysis

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309486726
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Strategic Investments in Instrumentation and Facilities for Extraterrestrial Sample Curation and Analysis by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Strategic Investments in Instrumentation and Facilities for Extraterrestrial Sample Curation and Analysis written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-03-29 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States possesses a treasure-trove of extraterrestrial samples that were returned to Earth via space missions over the past four decades. Analyses of these previously returned samples have led to major breakthroughs in the understanding of the age, composition, and origin of the solar system. Having the instrumentation, facilities and qualified personnel to undertake analyses of returned samples, especially from missions that take up to a decade or longer from launch to return, is thus of paramount importance if the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to capitalize fully on the investment made in these missions, and to achieve the full scientific impact afforded by these extraordinary samples. Planetary science may be entering a new golden era of extraterrestrial sample return; now is the time to assess how prepared the scientific community is to take advantage of these opportunities. Strategic Investments in Instrumentation and Facilities for Extraterrestrial Sample Curation and Analysis assesses the current capabilities within the planetary science community for sample return analyses and curation, and what capabilities are currently missing that will be needed for future sample return missions. This report evaluates whether current laboratory support infrastructure and NASA's investment strategy is adequate to meet these analytical challenges and advises how the community can keep abreast of evolving and new techniques in order to stay at the forefront of extraterrestrial sample analysis.

Visions into Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309479363
Total Pages : 155 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Visions into Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Visions into Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-11-30 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In spring 2011 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine produced a report outlining the next decade in planetary sciences. That report, titled Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022, and popularly referred to as the "decadal survey," has provided high-level prioritization and guidance for NASA's Planetary Science Division. Other considerations, such as budget realities, congressional language in authorization and appropriations bills, administration requirements, and cross-division and cross-directorate requirements (notably in retiring risk or providing needed information for the human program) are also necessary inputs to how NASA develops its planetary science program. In 2016 NASA asked the National Academies to undertake a study assessing NASA's progress at meeting the objectives of the decadal survey. After the study was underway, Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 which called for NASA to engage the National Academies in a review of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. NASA and the Academies agreed to incorporate that review into the midterm study. That study has produced this report, which serves as a midterm assessment and provides guidance on achieving the goals in the remaining years covered by the decadal survey as well as preparing for the next decadal survey, currently scheduled to begin in 2020.

Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309061369
Total Pages : 117 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies by : National Research Council

Download or read book Evaluating the Biological Potential in Samples Returned from Planetary Satellites and Small Solar System Bodies written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1998-10-14 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time since the Apollo program, NASA and space agencies abroad have plans to bring samples to Earth from elsewhere in the solar system. There are missions in various stages of definition to gather material over the next decade from Mars, an asteroid, comets, the satellites of Jupiter, and the interplanetary dust. Some of these targets, most especially Jupiter's satellites Europa and Ganymede, now appear to have the potential for harboring living organisms. This book considers the possibility that life may have originated or existed on a body from which a sample might be taken and the possibility that life still exists on the body either in active form or in a form that could be reactivated. It also addresses the potential hazard to terrestrial ecosystems from extraterrestrial life if it exists in a returned sample. Released at the time of the Internationl Committee on Space Research General Assembly, the book has already established the basis for plans for small body sample retruns in the international space research community.

NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781680920512
Total Pages : 486 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook by : Nasa

Download or read book NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook written by Nasa and published by . This book was released on 2018-03-21 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook is a companion to NPR 7120.5E, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements and supports the implementation of the requirements by which NASA formulates and implements space flight programs and projects. Its focus is on what the program or project manager needs to know to accomplish the mission, but it also contains guidance that enhances the understanding of the high-level procedural requirements. (See Appendix C for NPR 7120.5E requirements with rationale.) As such, it starts with the same basic concepts but provides context, rationale, guidance, and a greater depth of detail for the fundamental principles of program and project management. This handbook also explores some of the nuances and implications of applying the procedural requirements, for example, how the Agency Baseline Commitment agreement evolves over time as a program or project moves through its life cycle.

Planetary Defense

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030010007
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis Planetary Defense by : Nikola Schmidt

Download or read book Planetary Defense written by Nikola Schmidt and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-26 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Planetary defense from near-Earth objects such as asteroids is a far more nuanced and challenging topic than it might seem. Each day, technology is making it easier to detect asteroid impact threats in advance, but at present, there is still no easy way to design and implement any form of global defense. This book examines how various asteroid deflection methods can change global political affairs. The authors believe that the final policy for potential Earth impacts should be based on practical engineering solutions and innovative architectural structures, while at the same time reflecting the most recent political science contributions in ethical security studies and security cosmopolitanism. Their focus is not limited to effective engineering solutions, but rather extends to how such proposals resonate in possible political structures of the future. Planetary defense cannot be achieved with technology alone; the chapters in this volume highlight the issues that arise when space science and technology intersect with political science. This complex interdisciplinary project not only demands global participation and collaboration, but also proposes the way we can achieve it. The authors explore various concepts of governance and their far-reaching implications for planetary defense and vice versa—how scientific progress in Solar System observations and asteroid collision engineering influence political science and put pressure on the international legal framework. The text is intentionally written for a diverse scholarly and diplomatic audience in a style accessible to non-specialists and practitioners and can be read by those across diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Mars Sample Return Missions

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309130735
Total Pages : 90 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Mars Sample Return Missions by : National Research Council

Download or read book Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Mars Sample Return Missions written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-06-06 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NASA maintains a planetary protection policy to avoid the forward biological contamination of other worlds by terrestrial organisms, and back biological contamination of Earth from the return of extraterrestrial materials by spaceflight missions. Forward-contamination issues related to Mars missions were addressed in a 2006 National Research Council (NRC) book, Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars. However, it has been more than 10 years since back-contamination issues were last examined. Driven by a renewed interest in Mars sample return missions, this book reviews, updates, and replaces the planetary protection conclusions and recommendations contained in the NRC's 1997 report Mars Sample Return: Issues and Recommendations. The specific issues addressed in this book include the following: The potential for living entities to be included in samples returned from Mars; Scientific investigations that should be conducted to reduce uncertainty in the above assessment; The potential for large-scale effects on Earth's environment by any returned entity released to the environment; Criteria for intentional sample release, taking note of current and anticipated regulatory frameworks; and The status of technological measures that could be taken on a mission to prevent the inadvertent release of a returned sample into Earth's biosphere.

Handbook for New Actors in Space

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780692851418
Total Pages : 158 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (514 download)

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Book Synopsis Handbook for New Actors in Space by : Michael K Simpson

Download or read book Handbook for New Actors in Space written by Michael K Simpson and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-25 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Secure World Foundation developed the Handbook for New Actors in Space, which is intended to provide nations, established satellite operators, start-up companies, universities, and other space actors with a broad overview of the fundamental principles, laws, norms, and best practices for peaceful, safe, and responsible activities in space.

Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309224640
Total Pages : 399 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 by : National Research Council

Download or read book Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-01-30 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, planetary science has seen a tremendous growth in new knowledge. Deposits of water ice exist at the Moon's poles. Discoveries on the surface of Mars point to an early warm wet climate, and perhaps conditions under which life could have emerged. Liquid methane rain falls on Saturn's moon Titan, creating rivers, lakes, and geologic landscapes with uncanny resemblances to Earth's. Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 surveys the current state of knowledge of the solar system and recommends a suite of planetary science flagship missions for the decade 2013-2022 that could provide a steady stream of important new discoveries about the solar system. Research priorities defined in the report were selected through a rigorous review that included input from five expert panels. NASA's highest priority large mission should be the Mars Astrobiology Explorer Cacher (MAX-C), a mission to Mars that could help determine whether the planet ever supported life and could also help answer questions about its geologic and climatic history. Other projects should include a mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa and its subsurface ocean, and the Uranus Orbiter and Probe mission to investigate that planet's interior structure, atmosphere, and composition. For medium-size missions, Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 recommends that NASA select two new missions to be included in its New Frontiers program, which explores the solar system with frequent, mid-size spacecraft missions. If NASA cannot stay within budget for any of these proposed flagship projects, it should focus on smaller, less expensive missions first. Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 suggests that the National Science Foundation expand its funding for existing laboratories and establish new facilities as needed. It also recommends that the program enlist the participation of international partners. This report is a vital resource for government agencies supporting space science, the planetary science community, and the public.