Bowman 1

Evan Bowman
Mr. Bradley
US Government
26 October 2016
Extraterrestrial Environment Policy Research
With the ever-growing importance of global warning, destruction
of the ozone layer, deforestation, and more, environmental concerns
are higher now more than ever. Activist groups have risen from the
population to defend the Earth from pollution and other harmful
causes. Its clear that Earth is being misused, but when are we to
broaden our environmental perspective beyond Earth? The fact of the
matter is, the same way that we are polluting Earth with excess, we
will eventually move to polluting outside of the Earths atmosphere. In
order to deter the further contamination of the entire universe we
know, the United States Government must establish a policy dictating
the actions taken when dealing with environmental concerns outside of
Earths atmosphere. The U.S. Government should put my bill, The
Extraterrestrial Environment Conservation Act of 2016, into action in
order to conserve extraterrestrial life, maintain the original
environments of extraterrestrial bodies, and prevent the littering of
satellites outside of the Earths atmosphere.
Are we all alone in the universe, or do we have a couple of
friends along for the ride? Humans have queried the existence of

Bowman 2
extraterrestrial life since the beginning of time. Since science has
advanced, we have recently been able to discover that we are not
alone in the universe. Microbial organisms are able to maintain life in
the harsh and desolate environment of outer space and are present in
overwhelmingly large amounts. It is our duty as intelligent beings to
conserve the lives of these creatures. One reason for this is the
removal of special research opportunities for the human race (Meltzer).
Researching life in space could give us the crucial information to begin
understanding the origins of life. Also, researching chemical evolution
and pre-biotic compounds in space could be the future for human
space exploration (Hofmann). If we are able to figure out how bacteria
are surviving in such unsuitable environments, we could adopt our own
methods of sustaining life in space. Some also argue that the killing of
extraterrestrial life because of our own carelessness is unethical
(Salla). If we have the ability to shy away from any kind of harm, we
should be taking measures to do so. Preventing the unethical harm of
extraterrestrial life is very important, but we also must remain
conscious of the environments that these organisms are living in.
Im sure most people are familiar with the destruction of the
Earths atmosphere that is occurring right now. Similarly to Earth, other
planets scattered throughout the universe maintain an environment
that is not quite like any other. Its important to maintain these
extraterrestrial environments in order to ensure no interference with

Bowman 3
any possible extraterrestrial organisms in the environments (Maguire).
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the conservation of celestial
organisms is critical. With all of the discussion based around
colonization that has sparked recently, we must remain concerned with
planets environments (Hogan). In order to colonize other planets one
day, we must make sure that we do not harm the planets environment
similarly to what we have done to Earth. If we have learned anything
from our experience with Earth, for future generations we must be able
to conserve any habitable environments (Scallice). Planets are an
important talking point in the discussion about the universe, but what
about everything else?
If you have ever watched a rocket launch, you may have noticed
the several different components that make up the vehicle. As the
rocket shoots farther and farther away from the surface of Earth, it
begins to shed some of its layers to become lighter and more fuelefficient. Most of the time these remnants of the once great rocket ship
will come careening back into Earths atmosphere, but what happens
when they dont? Why should we be okay with our litter drifting around
in space? The correct answer is that we should not, for one reason,
because these remnants of old space missions may interfere with
upcoming space missions (Maguire). Weaving around the debris of
older rocket ships would make future space missions less efficient, less
safe, and possibly more expensive. We also do not know how far the

Bowman 4
effects of our litter in space may go; if they were to affect any other
kind of celestial body in a harmful manner, we would be found guilty
(Daspit). Thirdly, is that we do not know the effect that all the debris
floating around Earths atmosphere will have on our own planet in the
future (Hawking). The ambiguity of satellites around Earth should not
be taken lightly, as we have no clue what the long term affects of the
space debris will be. We still dont know a lot about space and the way
that we influence the universe outside of the Earths atmosphere. From
my point of view, its better to be safe than sorry when tampering with
the unknown. However, my point of view does not reflect the thoughts
of the population.
While many astrologists and bio-ethical experts have called for
an extraterrestrial environmental policy to be enacted in the United
States, there are some that oppose the creation of a conservational
policy in space. A few argue that the establishment of an
environmental policy in space is a waste of our governments time and
is not a relevant enough issue. While environmental policy outside of
Earths atmosphere may not be one of the most concerning topics at
the moment, environmental policy on Earth is. Since we have
mistreated our own planet of inhabitance so thoroughly, we must take
action sooner, rather than later, to save what we can in all things
(Sagan). Some will also argue that establishing an environmental
policy in space will place unnecessary restrictions on aerospace

Bowman 5
organizations and hinder research. Contrary to this, experts believe
that establishing an environmental policy in space will further our
research opportunities. When an environmental policy is put into place
that allows planets to more closely represent their natural
environments without human interaction, we will better be able to
understand how things work outside of Earth (Yager). A few also have
concerns about the budget of NASA and how much spending would be
required to put an environmental policy in space in action (Dreier).
What these few dont realize is that it takes 0 dollars to simply pass a
bill. While some money will have to be spent in order to adhere to the
bill, if those codes of conduct are broken, money will be circulated back
through the government with fines. While the establishment of an
environmental policy may seem unnecessary or a waste of time, the
pros heavily outweigh the cons.
In conclusion, an environmental policy in space should be passed
by Congress in order to preserve celestial organisms, maintain the
original environments of extraterrestrial bodies, and restrict the
littering of manmade satellites around Earths atmosphere. With this
bill in place, our understanding of space will have the potential to
expand exponentially. New research opportunities will begin to present
themselves and scientists will be able to better understand space the
way it should be understood. As some of the many dwellers of this

Bowman 6
universe, we must preserve it at all costs and hope that future
generations will do the same.

Works Cited
Daspit, Leo, Joseph Stern, and James Martin, eds. NASA Headquarters:
NASA, 1988. Lessons Learned from the Viking Planetary Quarantine

Bowman 7
and Contamination Control Experience. NASA, 1988. Web. 9 Oct.
2016.

Dreier, Casey. "[Updated] An Extraordinary Budget for NASA in 2016."

The Planetary Society Blog. The Planetary Science Society, 18 Dec.
2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

Hawking, Stephen. "Life in the Universe." Stephen Hawking. Hawking

Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.

Hofmann, Mahulena, Petra Rettberg, and Mark Williamson, eds. "IAA

Cosmic Study 2010." Protecting the Environment of Celestial Bodies
(2010): n. pag. 2010. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

Hogan, John A., Margaret S. Race, John W. Fisher, Jitendra A. Joshi, and
John D. Rummel, eds. NASA Office of Planetary Protection. Moffett
Field, California: NASA, 2006. Life Support and Habitation and
Planetary Protection Workshop Final Report. NASA, May 2006. Web.
9 Oct. 2016.

Maguire, Dillon S. Exploring the Final Frontier: Issues, Plans and

Funding for NASA. New York: Nova Science, 2010. Print

Bowman 8
Meltzer, Michael. When Biospheres Collide: A History of NASA's
Planetary Protection Programs. Washington, D.C.: NASA Aeronautics
and Space Administration, 2010. When Biospheres Collide: A
History of NASA's Planetary Protection Programs. NASA, 31 May
2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

Salla, Michael E. Exposing U.S. Government Policies on Extraterrestrial

Life the Challenge of Exopolitics. Kealakekua, HI: Exopolitics
Institute, 2009. Print.

Sagan, Carl. "NASA ASTROBIOLOGY DEBATES." NASA ASTROBIOLOGY

DEBATES. NASA, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.

Scallice, Daniella. "Exoplanet Education Guide." NASA. NASA, 20 Mar.

2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.

Yager, Bryan. "Space Settlement Basics." Space Settlement Basics.

National Space Society, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.