Review of the Report of the NASA Planetary Protection Independent Review Board

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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.

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88 pages · 8.5 x 11 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-67649-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67650-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25773

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Joseph K. Alexander

JOSEPH K. ALEXANDER is a consultant in science and technology policy at Alexander Space Policy Consultants. He was a senior program officer with the National Academies Space Studies Board (SSB) from 2005 until 2013, and he served as SSB director from 1998 until November 2005. Prior to joining the Academies, he was deputy assistant administrator for science in EPA’s Office of Research and Development where he coordinated a broad spectrum of environmental science and led strategic planning. From 1993 to 1994, he was Associate Director of Space Sciences at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and served concurrently as acting chief of the Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics. From 1987 until 1993, he was assistant associate administrator at NASA’s Office of Space Science and Applications where he coordinated planning and provided oversight of all scientific research programs. He also served from 1992 to 1993 as Acting Director of Life Sciences. Prior positions have included deputy NASA chief scientist, senior policy analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and research scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center. His research interests were in radio astronomy and space physics. He has a B.A. and M.A. in physics from the College of William and Mary. He has served on the Academies’ Committee on the Review of NASA's Planetary Science Division's Restructured Research and Analysis Programs.

David P. Fidler

DAVID P. FIDLER is a visiting professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and an adjunct senior fellow for cybersecurity and for global health at the Council of Foreign Relations. He also served as the chair of the International Law Association’s Study Group on Terrorism, Cybersecurity, and International Law; and was the editor of and a contributor to the award-winning book The Snowden Reader. He works on international law and global governance across many policy areas, including cyberspace, global health, trade and investment, environmental protection, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and national/international security. His current research focuses on various aspects of national and international cybersecurity. He is the recipient of a Fulbright New Century Scholar Award. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School. Fidler has previously served on Academies’ committees including the Committee to Review Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes.

G. S. Hubbard

G. SCOTT HUBBARD is an adjunct professor at Stanford University in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is also the director emeritus of the Stanford Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation and the founding editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal New Space. Previous positions include director of NASA’s Ames Research Center and NASA’s first Mars program director. He also founded NASA’s Astrobiology Institute and authored the award-winning book Exploring Mars: Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery. His research interests include the study of both human and robotic exploration of space. He has received eight NASA medals, including NASA’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal and was recently elected honorary fellow of the AIAA. He currently chairs the SpaceX Commercial Crew Safety Advisory Panel. He has received several honorary doctorates, was awarded a Sc.D. by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and earned his B.A. in physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University. He has previously served on Academies’ committees.

Rosaly M. Lopes

ROSALY M. LOPES is a senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (JPL) and principle investigator in the NASA Astrobiology Institute program. Her previous involvements at JPL include the Galileo and Cassini Flight Projects, and she has written more than one hundred and twenty peer-reviewed scientific publications and eight books. Her primary research interest is the geology of Titan, particularly its ice volcanoes. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geophysical Union, and an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics. She has received several awards, including the American Astronomical Society's Carl Sagan medal, The Explorers Club’s Lowell Thomas award, the Wings Women of Discovery Air and Space award, and two NASA Exceptional Public Service Medals. She obtained a Ph.D. from University College London, researching volcanism on Earth and Mars. She has previously served on two Academies’ committees and is a member of the Space Studies Board.

Margarita M. Marinova

MARGARITA MARINOVA is the senior Mars and vehicle systems development engineer at SpaceX. Before joining SpaceX, she was a planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where she participated in a variety of Martian analog studies, and a propulsion engineer at Airbus Safran Launchers. Her main interests include characterizing extreme environments, understanding the surface of Mars, and technical advancement for solar system exploration. She has conducted research in a diverse variety of environments, including the High Arctic, the Sahara Desert in Egypt, the bottom of a lake in British Columbia in Canada, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. She earned her Ph.D. in planetary science at the California Institute of Technology. Marinova has not previously served on an Academies’ committee.

H. Jay Melosh

H. JAY MELOSH (NAS) is a Distinguished Professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University. Melosh’s previous positions include professor of planetary sciences at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, associate professor of planetary science at California Institute of Technology, and associate professor of geophysics at State University of New York. He has made many important contributions to Earth and planetary sciences, including definitive studies of the collisional origin of the Moon and the process of impact cratering. His other major contributions include acoustic fluidization, dynamic topography, and planetary tectonics. He is active in astrobiological studies relating chiefly to microorganism exchange between the terrestrial planets. Melosh is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He received his A.B. in physics from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in physics and geology from Caltech. He has previously served on an Academies’ committee.

Kirsten Siebach

KIRSTEN SIEBACH is an assistant professor in the Rice University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, and a member of the Science and Operations Team for the Mars Science Laboratory. Prior to joining Rice University, she was a postdoctoral research associate at Stony Brook University studying the geochemistry of Martian sediments. Her work focuses on understanding the history of water interacting with sediments on Mars and early Earth through analysis of sedimentary rock textures and chemistry; she is also actively engaged in promoting education and outreach related to Earth and planetary sciences. She has received several NASA Group Achievement Awards for her work on the Mars Science Laboratory, Mars Exploration Rovers, and Phoenix missions. She completed her Ph.D. in geology at the California Institute of Technology. Siebach has not previously served on an Academies’ committee.

Caroline Smith

CAROLINE SMITH is the head of Earth Sciences Collections and Principal Curator of Meteorites at the Natural History Museum in London. Prior to joining the Natural History Museum, she was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow. She was also the co-principle investigator of the European Commission Horizon2020 project EURO-CARES. Her main research interests are planetary differentiation and extraterrestrial and terrestrial alteration processes. She was a member of the 2011 ESA/NASA Joint Science Working Group for Mars exploration missions, the co-chair of the iMARS Science Team 2014-2015. She is currently a member of ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC). Her experience and expertise in curation and collections has been recognized by the award of an Aurora Fellowship from the U.K. Space Agency. She earned her Ph.D. for meteoritics from The Open University. She has not previously served on an Academies’ committee, but participated in three meetings of experts organized by the Space Studies Board in response to a request from NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection.

Trista Vick-Majors

TRISTA VICK-MAJORS is an assistant professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Michigan Technological University. Prior to joining Michigan Technological University, she was a postdoctoral research scientist at l'Université du Québec à Montréal and at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station. As an Antarctic biogeochemist and microbial ecologist, her research projects focus on microbial communities and carbon cycling under ice. She is best known for her work showing that microorganisms are active in subglacial lakes under the Antarctic ice sheet. She completed her Ph.D. in ecology and environmental sciences from Montana State University. Vick-Majors has not previously served on an Academies’ committee.

A. Thomas Young

A. THOMAS YOUNG is the retired executive vice president of Lockheed Martin and chair of the Independent Review Board for the James Webb Space Telescope. Previous positions include director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, president and chief operating officer of Martin Marietta Corporation, and chair of Science Applications International Corporation. Mr. Young received high acclaim for his technical leadership in organizing and directing national space and defense programs, especially the Viking program. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and of the American Astronautical Society (AAS). He has received many awards, including NASA’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal, as well as the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award, and the Distinguished Executive Award. He earned his M.S. in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has previously served on an Academies’ committee.

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Review of the Report of the NASA Planetary Protection Independent Review Board

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