Modern spacecraft design no longer involves only the Engineering Sciences. To get "the bugs" out of a system must now be taken literally to signify eradication of actual free-living microorganisms. A severe impact of a non-sterilized space vehicle could result in overt, reckless contamination, virtually eliminating a celestial body as a scientific base for the exobiological phases of space exploration. Recognizing the potentially damaging effects of septic launches, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in December, 1960 authorized spacecraft sterilization and decontamination as National policy, thereby elevating the space effort onto a higher scientific plane. In the NASA directive, the basic reasons for sterilization were established, viz., "to preserve clues to the origin of life and of the universe, which may be hidden beneath the lunar strata or under the atmospheres of strange planets, to prevent inadvertent seeding of extraterrestrial surfaces by earth-life cultures, and to protect the earth from mutual contamination." In light of the foregoing, spacecraft sterilization should be regarded as the most significant single mission as well as design requirement of planetary space exploration --- especially if our objectives are primarily scientific.


    Zugriff

    Zugriff über TIB

    Verfügbarkeit in meiner Bibliothek prüfen


    Exportieren, teilen und zitieren



    Titel :

    Effect of Sterilization in Spacecraft Design


    Beteiligte:

    Kongress:

    National Meeting on Manned Space Flight ; 1962 ; St. Louis, MO, US



    Erscheinungsdatum :

    1962-01-01


    Medientyp :

    Aufsatz (Konferenz)


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch




    Spacecraft sterilization

    Horowitz, N. H. | NTRS | 1966


    Spacecraft sterilization

    Nowitzky, A.M. | Engineering Index Backfile | 1962


    Spacecraft sterilization program

    Miles, J. R. | NTRS | 1966



    Sterilization of spacecraft

    Hobby, G. L. | NTRS | 1963