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