Planetary Protection

Planetary Protection (German: Planetary protection) describe all the measures in the space, which prevent terrestrial life forms, such as Microorganisms or biomolecules reach with space missions, other planets, moons, asteroids and comets, and contaminate. Even with sample - return missions should be ensured that might exist extraterrestrial life forms not inadvertently reach the earth and reach the biosphere.

A distinction is made between forward contamination (English Forward -contamination ) and backward contamination (reverse / back -contamination ).

COSPAR distinguishes five mission categories (IV).

Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 mentioned planetary contamination and appropriate requirements for space be operated Parties.

Studies in 2012 have shown that extremophile and extremophile microorganisms tolerant could be detected in terms of cleanliness and sterility specially treated cleanrooms itself. The ESA operates in the DSMZ collection of microorganisms isolated from the surfaces of clean rooms, and space vehicles.