A scientific study led by Memorial University has concluded global action is required to protect a number of significant geological features on Mars, the moon and other planets and celestial bodies.
A scientific study led by Memorial University has concluded global action is required to protect a number of significant geological features on Mars, the moon and other planets and celestial bodies.
The paper, which was released today in Acta Astronautica, a publication of the International Academy of Austronautics, was co-authored by Dr. Jack Matthews, a post-doctoral fellow in Memorial’s Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, and research fellow at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and Dr. Sean McMahon of the U.K. Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh.
As nations and private companies increasingly explore and develop outer space, there is a growing threat to extraterrestrial environments. The research suggests a new global agreement is needed to protect the most important sites before it’s too late.
“The solar system is full of amazing sites of scientific and historic importance, as well as natural beauty,” said Dr. Matthews.
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Image via NASA.
