BackNasa to hire ‘planetary protection officer’ to defend Earth from alien matter: report
Nasa will offer a six-figure salary to the 'planetary protection officer' who will defend Earth from aliens, biological contamination, says report
Premium
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) is hiring someone who can defend the Earth from alien contamination, said a report in The Independent.
The full-time job titled “planetary protection officer" offers a six-figure salary, as much as $187,000-plus benefits and the job involves ensuring that humans in space do not contaminate planets, moons and prevent alien matter from infecting the Earth, added the report.
A report in Business Insider said only two such full-time roles exist in the world: one at Nasa and the other at the European Space Agency. Catharine Conley is Nasa’s only planetary protection officer since 2014, said the report.
According to the Independent report: “Planetary protection is concerned with the avoidance of organic-constituent and biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration." The job requires frequent travel, but only US citizens and nationals can apply, added the report.
Nasa has policies for planetary protection, which is applicable to all space flight missions that may intentionally or unintentionally carry organisms and organic constituents from the Earth to other planets or bodies in the solar system, added the news report.
The policies also include preventing any mission employing spacecraft returning to the Earth and its biosphere with samples from extraterrestrial targets of exploration, Independent wrote.
The three-year position, which may extend to five, was created after the US signed the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 to “pursue studies of outer space, and conduct exploration of them so as to avoid their harmful contamination and also adverse changes in the environment of the Earth resulting from the introduction of extraterrestrial matter."
The new employee would work to protect the Earth from potential contamination by planets like Mars, which scientists say may have once been covered in water and supported life, and there may be chance of life there now, the report added.
The new hire will likely be a part of the upcoming Nasa expedition to Europa, a moon of Jupiter. The $2.7 billion Europa Clipper mission, approved by US Congress, plans to map the moon’s surface and analyse whether it could be habitable, the report said.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
