January 31, 2015
Exobiology and planetary protection

The Exobiology tries to:
- Detect the presence or the signs of a possible extraterrestrial life on celestial bodies within the solar system or beyond
- Determine the nature of the contributions of organic matter from interplanetary origin on the primitive Earth and their contribution to the emergence of Life
- Determine the conditions which were able to reign during the first billion years of evolution of the Earth by using compared planetology
- Detect the existence of a prebiotic chemistry on bodies of the solar system.
The planetary protection contributes to establish the recommendations of the COSPAR and facilitate their implementation:
- To avoid the contamination by terrestrial microorganisms of celestial bodies visited by probes
- To guarantee, during returns of extraterrestrial samples, the protection of the Earth from their possible effects on the biosphere.
Contacts
- Program scientist: Michel Viso tel: 01 44 76 75 98
- Generic email: exobio@cnes.fr
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