This department is part of NASA and is
responsible for preventing outer space organisms from
contaminating Earth and simultaneously stopping Earth-based
organisms from contaminating outer space. NASA has been
employing a planetary protection officer since the Outer Space
Treaty was signed in 1967.
A candidate must have
at least one year of experience as a top-level civilian
government employee, plus have "advanced knowledge" of planetary
protection and all it entails. Planetary protection officers are
tasked with making sure humans do not contaminate planets,
moons, and other objects in space. The salary is $125,000 to
$187,000 annually.
NASA and the European
Space Agency currently hire permanent planetary protection
officers.