NASA Is Hiring Planetary Protection Officer to Protect the Earth From Aliens
NASA is looking for a new "planetary protection officer" whose job is to protect the Earth from hostile alien life. Along with the exciting job title are a hefty six-figure annual salary and the opportunity to work the world's premier space agency.
While the job title invokes images of people wearing awesome space suits and blasting aliens to oblivion, the job description entails a more mundane line of work. The job's main concern is to prevent "biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration."
This contamination is not limited to spacecraft returning to Earth but also potential human contamination of other planets. According to the job listing, the planetary protection officer is also "responsible for NASA's planetary protection capability, maintenance of planetary protection policies, and oversight of their implementation by NASA's space flight missions."
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Candidates must have an advanced knowledge of planetary protection, skills in overseeing space programs as well as demonstrate skills in diplomacy. Only U.S. citizens are allowed to apply and successful candidates can look forward to earning $124,406 to $187,000 annually.
Applicants need to hurry though, as the job opening closes by mid-August. The job offer went largely unnoticed for quite some time until it was picked up by media outlets which caught the attention of many hopeful job seekers.
Contrary to belief, the concept of space-born contaminants is not a new idea. According to the 1967 United Nations treaty on space exploration, space-faring nations must take care about contaminants.
The crew of the Apollo 11 mission was famously placed in a quarantine pod following their return from the moon. To this day, astronauts undergo quarantine procedures following their return from space.
The job of planetary protection officer certainly pays well but the requirements are also quite demanding. Aside from the aforementioned skills, applicants must also have a degree in physics, engineering or mathematics as well as "secret" security level clearance. It just goes to show how seriously NASA takes the threat of contamination.
