TERMIUM Plus®
The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.
BACKWARD CONTAMINATION [1 record]
Record 1 - internal organization data 2025-02-04
Record 1, English
Record 1, Subject field(s)
- Interplanetary Space Exploration
- Collaboration with WIPO
Record 1, Main entry term, English
- backward contamination
1, record 1, English, backward%20contamination
correct, noun
Record 1, Abbreviations, English
Record 1, Synonyms, English
- back contamination 2, record 1, English, back%20contamination
correct, noun
- back-contamination 3, record 1, English, back%2Dcontamination
correct, noun
Record 1, Textual support, English
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 CONT
Space flight to the surface of Mars or other solar system bodies entails the possibility of carrying materials and organisms from the Earth to those destinations, and hence contaminating the planetary surface or atmosphere. This is termed "forward" contamination. The possibility that spacefaring crews landing on the surface of Mars or other bodies beyond the Moon may be exposed to harmful substances, possibly biological but more likely inorganic toxins, is called "backward" contamination. These two modes of introducing alien materials into a planetary environment are the focus of planetary protection concerns. 1, record 1, English, - backward%20contamination
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 OBS
backward contamination; back contamination; back-contamination: designations validated by a subject-matter expert from the Canadian Space Agency. 4, record 1, English, - backward%20contamination
Record 1, Key term(s)
- SearchOnlyKey1
Record 1, French
Record 1, Domaine(s)
- Exploration interplanétaire
- Collaboration avec l'OMPI
Record 1, Main entry term, French
- contamination extraterrestre
1, record 1, French, contamination%20extraterrestre
correct, feminine noun
Record 1, Abbreviations, French
Record 1, Synonyms, French
- contamination en retour 2, record 1, French, contamination%20en%20retour
correct, feminine noun
Record 1, Textual support, French
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 CONT
[Le] problème, c'est évidemment de ne pas ramener sur Terre des microbes virulents […] Ce n'est évidemment pas parce que l'on n'a rien trouvé jusqu'ici qu'il n'existe aucune vie ailleurs, y compris dans notre Système solaire! Diverses missions de retour d'échantillons sont prévues : le risque de contamination extraterrestre est donc très sérieusement envisagé […] 1, record 1, French, - contamination%20extraterrestre
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 2 CONT
Les spécialistes distinguent deux formes de contamination et recourent à deux termes anglais : forward et backward. Ce que [l'auteur traduit] par «contamination aller» (forward contamination) consiste à emporter des formes de vie terrestres sur d'autres corps célestes que notre planète; à l'inverse et logiquement, la «contamination en retour» (backward contamination) désigne l'apport sur Terre (ou dans son voisinage) de formes de vie d'origine extraterrestre. 2, record 1, French, - contamination%20extraterrestre
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 OBS
contamination extraterrestre : désignation validée par un spécialiste de l'Agence spatiale canadienne. 3, record 1, French, - contamination%20extraterrestre
Record 1, Spanish
Record 1, Campo(s) temático(s)
- Exploración interplanetaria
- Colaboración con la OMPI
Record 1, Main entry term, Spanish
- contaminación de regreso
1, record 1, Spanish, contaminaci%C3%B3n%20de%20regreso
correct, feminine noun
Record 1, Abbreviations, Spanish
Record 1, Synonyms, Spanish
Record 1, Textual support, Spanish
Record number: 1, Textual support number: 1 CONT
Objetivamente, existen diversas formas de que se produzca un impacto negativo sobre el medio ambiente. Una de ellas es la contaminación interplanetaria, es decir, la posible forma de contaminación biológica de un cuerpo planetario por una sonda o nave espacial […] Si la transferencia de vida microbiana u otras formas de contaminación se produce de la Tierra a otro cuerpo celeste se conoce como contaminación de salida ("forward contamination"), mientras que en el caso inverso, es decir, cuando se introducen en la biosfera de la Tierra organismos extraterrestres que pudieran contaminarla es conocida como contaminación de regreso ("backward contamination") […] 1, record 1, Spanish, - contaminaci%C3%B3n%20de%20regreso
Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2025
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau
Features
Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.
Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.
Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.
- Date Modified: