Ethical Exploration and the Role of Planetary Protection in Disrupting Colonial Practices
Frank Tavares, Denise Buckner, Dana Burton, Jordan McKaig, Parvathy, Prem, Eleni Ravanis, Natalie Trevino, Aparna Venkatesan, Steven D. Vance,, Monica Vidaurri, Lucianne Walkowicz, and Mary Beth Wilhelm

TL;DR
This paper advocates for a reevaluation of space exploration ethics, emphasizing planetary protection policies that resist colonial practices and involve diverse community input to ensure ethical and sustainable exploration of Moon and Mars.
Contribution
It highlights the need for enforceable planetary protection policies rooted in ethical considerations and community engagement to prevent colonial practices in space exploration.
Findings
Current policies lack enforcement mechanisms.
Historical colonialism influences space exploration ethics.
Inclusive discussions are essential for ethical policy development.
Abstract
We recommend that the planetary science and space exploration community engage in a robust reevaluation concerning the ethics of how future crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon and Mars will interact with those planetary environments. This should occur through a process of community input, with emphasis on how such missions can resist colonial structures. Such discussions must be rooted in the historical context of the violent colonialism in the Americas and across the globe that has accompanied exploration of Earth. The structures created by settler colonialism are very much alive today, impact the scientific community, and are currently replicated in the space exploration communities' plans for human exploration and in-situ resource utilization. These discussions must lead to enforceable planetary protection policies that create a framework for ethical exploration of other worlds.…
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