June 2015
The new space ethics: COSPAR, Planetary Protection and beyond
... long-term sustainability of outer space.”20 The level of planetary protection is based on how biologically active a world could be. Europa, with its sub-surface ocean would require the highest levels of protection. Recognizing the problem of debris...
March 2016
Saving Earth from an Expanding Sun
... let’s become a spacefaring people, occupying other worlds and filling the Solar System with vibrant life. Europa, Mars, the asteroid colonies - but also, interstellar. As Elon Musk recommends, let’s put our eggs in many...
March 2016
Why We Need Space Artists
... number in the hundreds. But who could have forecast the active volcanoes of Io, the salty ocean below Europa’s icy crust, the giant ice ravines on Miranda, or the geysers of Triton and Enceladus? Officially, Pluto is no longer...
September 2017
Europe needs facility to handle extra-terrestrial space material
... in the case of samples from the Moon) or restricted Earth return mission (e.g., in the case of samples from Mars or Europa). There are no special requirements for sample containment for unrestricted missions. However, for restricted missions, where...
September 2017
Science searches for cosmic company
..., had in the past) environments that could nourish biology. Planned missions to the outer solar system moons Europa and Enceladus are also motivated by the hope of finding life beyond Earth. But while we might discover...
October 2018
Could salty brines be the key to microbial life on Mars?
... for it to support life (as we know it). Even so, it should be emphasised that although extra-terrestrial environments on Mars, Europa or even Enceladus may be considered ‘habitable’, it does not follow that such an environment contains life. For all...
