https://www.earthmagazine.org/tags/law/ Recent content in Law on EARTH Magazine Hugo en-US American Geosciences Institute. All rights reserved. Thu, 16 Apr 2015 12:59:04 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/comment-when-scientists-come-under-legal-attack/ Thu, 16 Apr 2015 12:59:04 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/comment-when-scientists-come-under-legal-attack/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/comment-when-scientists-come-under-legal-attack/shutterstock_55777120_books_stacks_TischenkoIrina.jpg" alt="Credit: ©Shutterstock/Tischenko Irina." loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Credit: ©Shutterstock/Tischenko Irina.</figcaption> </figure> <p>A fundamental tenet of science is that the search for knowledge is objective. Unfortunately, this principle has been turned on its head in recent years by politically motivated groups when scientific findings endanger their ideologies or business interests. To distract from and discredit such findings, these groups have launched legal challenges and other attacks against a small but growing number of scientists, who must then legally defend their work, correspondence and public statements.</p> https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-265-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="Apollo 11 astronauts in isolation garments. NASA" loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Apollo 11 astronauts in isolation garments. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-266-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="Rangers 6 through 9 made it to the moon, but were unsterilized - thus, their crash landings could have contaminated the moon. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Rangers 6 through 9 made it to the moon, but were unsterilized - thus, their crash landings could have contaminated the moon. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-264-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="Although Apollo 11 astronauts and their ship were supposed to be quarantined to protect against possible pathogens in moon dust, the capsule door opened into the Pacific Ocean after landing. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Although Apollo 11 astronauts and their ship were supposed to be quarantined to protect against possible pathogens in moon dust, the capsule door opened into the Pacific Ocean after landing. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/European%20Space%20Agency" alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-263-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="NASA scientists examine dust from comet Wild 2 in a clean room. Pathogens in the dust could still contaminate the scientists: Their eyes (soft, moist tissue) are exposed. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>NASA scientists examine dust from comet Wild 2 in a clean room. Pathogens in the dust could still contaminate the scientists: Their eyes (soft, moist tissue) are exposed. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-261-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="The Space Shuttle Discovery on its way to the International Space Station. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>The Space Shuttle Discovery on its way to the International Space Station. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-260-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands with the American flag on the moon. The astronauts&#39; footprints are visible in the lunar soil. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands with the American flag on the moon. The astronauts&#39; footprints are visible in the lunar soil. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-267-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="The two Viking landers were the only NASA spacecraft sent to Mars that received a full heat sterilization. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>The two Viking landers were the only NASA spacecraft sent to Mars that received a full heat sterilization. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/protecting-planets-us-and-us-them/i-25c-7d9-8-1a.jpg" alt="A technician puts finishing touches on the Sputnik 1 satellite in the assembly shop in fall 1957. NASA" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>A technician puts finishing touches on the Sputnik 1 satellite in the assembly shop in fall 1957. NASA</figcaption> </figure> <h2 id="the-outer-space-treaty-and-planetary-contamination" style="text-align: center;">The Outer Space Treaty and planetary contamination</h2> <p>Is there life out there? Finding life has been a goal of the exploration of other celestial bodies since humans first imagined leaving our atmosphere &mdash; and that life may come in forms we do not immediately recognize. The search itself carries an inherent danger, however: We must not contaminate these pristine worlds with earthly microbes &mdash; lest we &ldquo;rediscover&rdquo; earthly microbes on a different planet, completely frustrating the science and devaluing the investment in the mission. If celestial bodies like Mars, the moon, comets, and Jupiter and Saturn&rsquo;s icy moons do harbor microbial life, crash-landing a spacecraft on them could have serious consequences.</p>