Islands in the Sea, Islands in Space

Life developed slowly on the Hawaiian Islands. A new plant or animal made it here only every 50,000 years or so until humans arrived. Over the past 1,000 years, people introduced many new life forms and changed the ecology of the islands forever.

Planetary Protection

In space exploration, care is taken to avoid the introduction of Earth life to other planets, or to return to our planet with organisms that might endanger it.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed strict guidelines to ensure that we do not disturb other planets or harm our own. This is done in many ways, from sterilizing spacecraft in clean rooms to keeping samples in hermetically sealed containers to prevent hitchhikers from entering or leaving our environment.

Mars Polar Lander

When spacecraft visit other planets, alien life forms from Earth will not be left behind to change the environment. The Mars Polar Lander is designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the south pole in order to study the water cycle there.

Kennedy Space Center Clean Room

Technicians test instruments and the spacecraft subsystems of the Mars Polar Lander in a clean room at Kennedy Space Center. The Lander will help scientists learn about climate change and resources on Mars, and enable them to study such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere.

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