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Abstract
Molecular biology methods and technologies have advanced substantially over the past decade. These new molecular methods should be incorporated among the standard tools of planetary protection (PP) and could be validated for incorporation by 2026. To address the feasibility of applying modern molecular techniques to such an application, NASA conducted a technology workshop with private industry partners, academics, and government agency stakeholders, along with NASA staff and contractors. The technical discussions and presentations of the Multi-Mission Metagenomics Technology Development Workshop focused on modernizing and supplementing the current PP assays. The goals of the workshop were to assess the state of metagenomics and other advanced molecular techniques in the context of providing a validated framework to supplement the bacterial endospore-based NASA Standard Assay and to identify knowledge and technology gaps. In particular, workshop participants were tasked with discussing metagenomics as a stand-alone technology to provide rapid and comprehensive analysis of total nucleic acids and viable microorganisms on spacecraft surfaces, thereby allowing for the development of tailored and cost-effective microbial reduction plans for each hardware item on a spacecraft. Workshop participants recommended metagenomics approaches as the only data source that can adequately feed into quantitative microbial risk assessment models for evaluating the risk of forward (exploring extraterrestrial planet) and back (Earth harmful biological) contamination. Participants were unanimous that a metagenomics workflow, in tandem with rapid targeted quantitative (digital) PCR, represents a revolutionary advance over existing methods for the assessment of microbial bioburden on spacecraft surfaces. The workshop highlighted low biomass sampling, reagent contamination, and inconsistent bioinformatics data analysis as key areas for technology development. Finally, it was concluded that implementing metagenomics as an additional workflow for addressing concerns of NASA's robotic mission will represent a dramatic improvement in technology advancement for PP and will benefit future missions where mission success is affected by backward and forward contamination.
Highlights
Since the beginning of extraterrestrial exploration by NASA, planetary protection (PP) has been an important effort to prevent biological forward contamination of nonEarth environments
The NASA Standard Assay (NSA) method, developed to assess PP risk for spacecraft bound for Mars, has been suitable for some flight missions (e.g., Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Category IVa, IVb and IVc to Mars), the NSA method alone is insufficient for missions with sample return or life detection
The NSA may serve as an indicator of biological cleanliness, it does not identify PPrelevant microbial taxa capable of flight survival, nor can it address the issue of microbial diversity on spacecraft surfaces
Summary
Since the beginning of extraterrestrial exploration by NASA, planetary protection (PP) has been an important effort to prevent biological forward contamination of nonEarth environments. Molecular biology approaches targeting nucleic acids enable broad-based detection of all microbial taxa and deliver information needed for life detection protocols Such information can be used to develop tailored microbial reduction strategies, to communicate biological contamination and function risk assessments, and to facilitate options for end-of-mission strategies. Implementation of metagenomics from the current research-focused applications to routine PP practice will benefit all current and planned future missions It will increase confidence in the ability to reduce forward contamination threats during exploration of planets, and it will lead to tailored, more efficient, and costeffective microbial reduction plans for each hardware item on a spacecraft.
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