Ms. Simonetta Di Pippo, Director, United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson pose for a photograph prior to a meeting during the Space Symposium, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, is seen during a special session titled “Planetary Protection for the Future: Science, Exploration, and Commerce” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

ISS043E294202 (06/10/2015) --- NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is photographed in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) holding a sign with the hashtag #whyspacematters. NASA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have launched a global photography competition to highlight how the vantage point of space helps us better understand our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future by aiding sustainable development on Earth.

NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green, left, Lisa Pratt, NASA's Planetary Protection Officer, Michael Meyer, Lead Scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, Dan Hendrickson, Vice President of Business Development at Astrobotic Technology, Kyle Acierno, Vice President of Global Sales and Strategy at ispace, and Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, right, are seen during a special session titled “Planetary Protection for the Future: Science, Exploration, and Commerce” at the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)