Astrobiology Life-Detection Mission Planner — Free Interactive Simulation

Target body

Mission parameters

Target biosignature confidence 90%

Mission sterility assurance 4.5 log

Sample-return mass 8 kg

Mission readiness score

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Confirmed biosignature probes

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Sterility vs COSPAR margin

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How it works

Each target body has a COSPAR-style baseline sterility requirement (bioburden-reduction target, log scale) reflecting how likely it is to harbour a special region where Earth microbes could survive and contaminate a future sample. The mission readiness score blends three normalised inputs:

conf_n   = (confidence − 50) / 49
steril_n = min(1, sterility / requiredCOSPAR[body])
mass_n   = min(1, sampleMass / 20)

readiness = 0.45·conf_n + 0.35·steril_n + 0.20·mass_n

Target biosignature confidence — how strong the corroborating evidence must be before a signal counts as a detection; higher thresholds flag fewer, more certain probes as "confirmed" in the swarm.
Mission sterility assurance — planetary-protection bioburden reduction (log). Each target body needs a different minimum before the shield reads "pass".
Sample-return mass — more returned material (kg) enables deeper, cross-validated lab analysis, raising the return-capsule size and its readiness contribution.

Required sterility baseline: Mars 4.0 log, Europa 5.5 log, Enceladus 5.5 log, Titan 3.0 log — icy ocean-world moons demand the strictest bioburden control.

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