A NASA job vacancy for a Planetary Protection Officer caused a media buzz recently, mainly because of misleading headlines. But the reality of the function is not so much “Men in Black” as ‘people in white’. Planetary protection is based on legal obligations of countries, including ESA Member States, as signatories of UN Outer Space Treaty, and most space agencies have planetary protection offices. Here’s an interview with ESA’s Planetary Protection Officer…
Planetary protection: preventing microbes hitchhiking to space
While astronauts might dream of discovering unknown life one day in their future career, ESA’s Planetary Protection Officer oversees activities that achieve it on a regular basis.
