Planetary Protection Implementation on the Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport Mission

Abstract

The InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Mars flight system is made up of a cruise stage, an aeroshell, and a Phoenix heritage-based lander that successfully landed in the Elysium Planitia on November 26, 2018. InSight has primary science objectives that are aimed at understanding more about the interior of Mars and the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets. As with previous Mars missions, InSight was obligated to satisfy bioburden requirements and verify compliance with international treaty obligations and National Aeronautics and Space Administration requirements before launch. InSight implemented a series of policies and procedures to minimize biological risk and comply with all applicable requirements for a Planetary Protection Category IVa mission. At launch, InSight had an estimated total bacterial spore burden of 1.50 × 10⁵ spores on the entire spacecraft, including the cruise stage, satisfying the requirement of 5 × 10⁵ spores. The landed hardware components required <3 × 10⁵ spores and a bioburden density of <300 spores/m². At launch, the landed hardware of InSight contained an estimated total spore bioburden of 1.35 × 10⁵ spores and an estimated bioburden density of 129 spores/m².

Keywords: Bioburden; InSight; Mars. Astrobiology 20, 1151–1157; Planetary protection; Spore.