NASA has listed the job vacancy for the post of 'planetary protection officer' last year and finally, they have found a suitable person to fill this slot. The world's leading space agency has named Lisa Pratt, a professor in the department of earth and atmospheric sciences in the IU Bloomington College of arts and sciences as the new planetary protection officer.
As a planetary protection officer, Lisa Pratt will be responsible for protecting the earth from potential contamination by extraterrestrial life forms that may be living in ice or underground water on Mars. She should also make sure that earth's microbes are not getting carried to other planets via exploratory probes, or through the boots of astronomers.
In short, the position of planetary protection officer will be very crucial, and from now, Lisa Pratt will ensure that humans do not contaminate the space, and other organisms from outer worlds and do not contaminate the earth either. So, if an alien invasion takes place, Lisa Pratt will be the front-runner to save our world from advanced extraterrestrial beings. Pratt will work in the agency's headquarter in Washington DC from February 05, 2018.
"I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the mission of planetary protection at a defining moment in human evolution and the advancement of science. We are on the verge of becoming a spacefaring species, and I feel privileged to be invited into an extraordinary conversation, pushing the frontiers of science, exploration, and discovery at NASA. This position plays a direct role in seeking evidence to address a profound question: Are we alone?," said Pratt, reports CBS 4.
Lisa Pratt has been working with the IU Bloomington college of arts and sciences since 1987. During her career, she has been involved in researches related to the behavior of microorganisms in extreme environments.
