There has been a long-standing perspective in the planetary engineering community that the use of planetary protection sterilization techniques such as dry heat microbial reduction (DHMR) have led to significant mission failures in the past. This perception has led to a hesitation to craft mission designs that incorporate sterilization beyond the component-level. Via interviews with long-standing members of the planetary engineering community across the Agency, we have identified the root historical missions that have driven this perspective. The source, or Origin Story, which has been passed down to subsequent generations of engineers, is the failures tied to the early series of the Ranger missions. In this presentation, we examine the details behind the Ranger failures, the majority of which are non-planetary protection sterilization-related, and bring to light the myth of this perception.


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    Title :

    Planetary Protection, Parts, and Perception: The Ranger Missions as the Origin Story of the Myth of Planetary Protection-Related Mission Failures


    Contributors:
    B. Pugel (author)

    Publication date :

    2022


    Size :

    24 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English