What precautions have been taken to prevent the Huygens Probe from contaminating Titan when it lands there?
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), an interdisciplinary committee of the International Council for Science, maintains a consensus international planetary protection policy to be followed by spacefaring nations. In 1988, the U.S. National Research Council’s Space Studies Board, working under COSPAR guidelines, determined that the Cassini-Huygens mission fit into “Category II” as follows: “Category II missions comprise all types of missions to those target bodies where there is significant interest relative to the process of chemical evolution and the origin of life, but where there is only a remote chance that contamination carried by a spacecraft could jeopardize future exploration. The requirements are for simple documentation only. Preparation of a short planetary protection plan is required for these flight projects primarily to outline intended or potential impact targets, brief pre? and post-launch analyses detailing impact strategies, and a post-encounter and End-of-Missio
