Knowledge Tree
Relations (1)
cross_type 2.32 — strongly supporting 4 facts
Brent Sherwood is a key contributor to the field of planetary protection, having argued that current policies are outdated {fact:1, fact:4} and proposing new mechanisms for decision-making and ethical risk communication {fact:2, fact:3}.
Facts (4)
Sources
Putting the Ethics into Planetary Protection | News | Astrobiology astrobiology.nasa.gov 4 facts
claimSherwood asserts that the rapid growth in the understanding of biology and astrobiology is outpacing the evolution of planetary protection policies.
procedureBrent Sherwood proposes a two-stage mechanism for addressing ethical considerations in planetary protection: first, communicating risks, limitations, and the 1-in-10,000 probability metric to the public; second, deciding on available options.
perspectiveSherwood argues that current planetary protection mechanisms are incomplete and that the processes for determining who holds final decision-making authority need to be established.
perspectiveSherwood and colleagues argue that current planetary protection studies are becoming outdated due to increasing knowledge about the potential for life on ocean moons, extremophile survivability, and microbial interdependences.