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Chou L, Grefenstette N, Borges S, Caro T, Catalano E, Harman CE, McKaig J, Raj CG, Trubl G, Young A. Chapter 8: Searching for Life Beyond Earth. Astrobiology 2024; 24:S164-S185. [PMID: 38498822 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The search for life beyond Earth necessitates a rigorous and comprehensive examination of biosignatures, the types of observable imprints that life produces. These imprints and our ability to detect them with advanced instrumentation hold the key to our understanding of the presence and abundance of life in the universe. Biosignatures are the chemical or physical features associated with past or present life and may include the distribution of elements and molecules, alone or in combination, as well as changes in structural components or physical processes that would be distinct from an abiotic background. The scientific and technical strategies used to search for life on other planets include those that can be conducted in situ to planetary bodies and those that could be observed remotely. This chapter discusses numerous strategies that can be employed to look for biosignatures directly on other planetary bodies using robotic exploration including those that have been deployed to other planetary bodies, are currently being developed for flight, or will become a critical technology on future missions. Search strategies for remote observations using current and planned ground-based and space-based telescopes are also described. Evidence from spectral absorption, emission, or transmission features can be used to search for remote biosignatures and technosignatures. Improving our understanding of biosignatures, their production, transformation, and preservation on Earth can enhance our search efforts to detect life on other planets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luoth Chou
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Natalie Grefenstette
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Tristan Caro
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Enrico Catalano
- Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Jordan McKaig
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Gareth Trubl
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA
| | - Amber Young
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Swindle TD, Atreya S, Busemann H, Cartwright JA, Mahaffy P, Marty B, Pack A, Schwenzer SP. Scientific Value of Including an Atmospheric Sample as Part of Mars Sample Return (MSR). Astrobiology 2022; 22:S165-S175. [PMID: 34904893 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Perseverance rover is meant to collect samples of the martian surface for eventual return to Earth. The headspace gas present over the solid samples within the sample tubes will be of significant scientific interest for what it reveals about the interactions of the solid samples with the trapped atmosphere and for what it will reveal about the martian atmosphere itself. However, establishing the composition of the martian atmosphere will require other dedicated samples. The headspace gas as the sole atmospheric sample is problematic for many reasons. The quantity of gas present within the sample tube volume is insufficient for many investigations, and there will be exchange between solid samples, headspace gas, and tube walls. Importantly, the sample tube materials and preparation were not designed for optimal Mars atmospheric gas collection and storage as they were not sent to Mars in a degassed evacuated state and have been exposed to both Earth's and Mars' atmospheres. Additionally, there is a risk of unconstrained seal leakage in transit back to Earth, which would allow fractionation of the sample (leak-out) and contamination (leak-in). The science return can be improved significantly (and, in some cases, dramatically) by adding one or more of several strategies listed here in increasing order of effectiveness and difficulty of implementation: (1) Having Perseverance collect a gas sample in an empty sample tube, (2) Collecting gas in a newly-designed, valved, sample-tube-sized vessel that is flown on either the Sample Fetch Rover (SFR) or the Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL), (3) Adding a larger (50-100 cc) dedicated gas sampling volume to the Orbiting Sample container (OS), (4) Adding a larger (50-100 cc) dedicated gas sampling volume to the OS that can be filled with compressed martian atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Swindle
- University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Henner Busemann
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Paul Mahaffy
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
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Mangold N, Gupta S, Gasnault O, Dromart G, Tarnas JD, Sholes SF, Horgan B, Quantin-Nataf C, Brown AJ, Le Mouélic S, Yingst RA, Bell JF, Beyssac O, Bosak T, Calef F, Ehlmann BL, Farley KA, Grotzinger JP, Hickman-Lewis K, Holm-Alwmark S, Kah LC, Martinez-Frias J, McLennan SM, Maurice S, Nuñez JI, Ollila AM, Pilleri P, Rice JW, Rice M, Simon JI, Shuster DL, Stack KM, Sun VZ, Treiman AH, Weiss BP, Wiens RC, Williams AJ, Williams NR, Williford KH. Perseverance rover reveals an ancient delta-lake system and flood deposits at Jezero crater, Mars. Science 2021; 374:711-717. [PMID: 34618548 DOI: 10.1126/science.abl4051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- N Mangold
- Laboratoire Planétologie et Géodynamique, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Université Nantes, Université Angers, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6112, 44322 Nantes, France
| | - S Gupta
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - O Gasnault
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - G Dromart
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon-Terre Planètes Environnement, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecole Normale Supérieure Lyon, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - J D Tarnas
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - S F Sholes
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - B Horgan
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - C Quantin-Nataf
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon-Terre Planètes Environnement, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecole Normale Supérieure Lyon, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - A J Brown
- Plancius Research, Severna Park, MD 21146, USA
| | - S Le Mouélic
- Laboratoire Planétologie et Géodynamique, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Université Nantes, Université Angers, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6112, 44322 Nantes, France
| | - R A Yingst
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - J F Bell
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - O Beyssac
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7590, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Sorbonne Université, Museum National d'Histoires Naturelles, 75005 Paris, France
| | - T Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - F Calef
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - B L Ehlmann
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - K A Farley
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - J P Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - K Hickman-Lewis
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK.,Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - S Holm-Alwmark
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Geology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L C Kah
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - J Martinez-Frias
- Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Complutense Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - S M McLennan
- Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - S Maurice
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - J I Nuñez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A M Ollila
- Space and Planetary Exploration Team, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - P Pilleri
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - J W Rice
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - M Rice
- Geology Department, College of Science and Engineering, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA
| | - J I Simon
- Center for Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochronology, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - D L Shuster
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - K M Stack
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - V Z Sun
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - A H Treiman
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - B P Weiss
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.,Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - R C Wiens
- Space and Planetary Exploration Team, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - A J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - N R Williams
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - K H Williford
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.,Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
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Abstract
We describe the history and features of the Ladder of Life Detection, a tool intended to guide the design of investigations to detect microbial life within the practical constraints of robotic space missions. To build the Ladder, we have drawn from lessons learned from previous attempts at detecting life and derived criteria for a measurement (or suite of measurements) to constitute convincing evidence for indigenous life. We summarize features of life as we know it, how specific they are to life, and how they can be measured, and sort these features in a general sense based on their likelihood of indicating life. Because indigenous life is the hypothesis of last resort in interpreting life-detection measurements, we propose a small but expandable set of decision rules determining whether the abiotic hypothesis is disproved. In light of these rules, we evaluate past and upcoming attempts at life detection. The Ladder of Life Detection is not intended to endorse specific biosignatures or instruments for life-detection measurements, and is by no means a definitive, final product. It is intended as a starting point to stimulate discussion, debate, and further research on the characteristics of life, what constitutes a biosignature, and the means to measure them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Neveu
- NASA Postdoctoral Management Program Fellow, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, Maryland
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
| | - Lindsay E. Hays
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
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Thompson DR, Candela A, Wettergreen DS, Dobrea EN, Swayze GA, Clark RN, Greenberger R. Spatial Spectroscopic Models for Remote Exploration. Astrobiology 2018; 18:934-954. [PMID: 30035643 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ancient hydrothermal systems are a high-priority target for a future Mars sample return mission because they contain energy sources for microbes and can preserve organic materials (Farmer, 2000 ; MEPAG Next Decade Science Analysis Group, 2008 ; McLennan et al., 2012 ; Michalski et al., 2017 ). Characterizing these large, heterogeneous systems with a remote explorer is difficult due to communications bandwidth and latency; such a mission will require significant advances in spacecraft autonomy. Science autonomy uses intelligent sensor platforms that analyze data in real-time, setting measurement and downlink priorities to provide the best information toward investigation goals. Such automation must relate abstract science hypotheses to the measurable quantities available to the robot. This study captures these relationships by formalizing traditional "science traceability matrices" into probabilistic models. This permits experimental design techniques to optimize future measurements and maximize information value toward the investigation objectives, directing remote explorers that respond appropriately to new data. Such models are a rich new language for commanding informed robotic decision making in physically grounded terms. We apply these models to quantify the information content of different rover traverses providing profiling spectroscopy of Cuprite Hills, Nevada. We also develop two methods of representing spatial correlations using human-defined maps and remote sensing data. Model unit classifications are broadly consistent with prior maps of the site's alteration mineralogy, indicating that the model has successfully represented critical spatial and mineralogical relationships at Cuprite. Key Words: Autonomous science-Imaging spectroscopy-Alteration mineralogy-Field geology-Cuprite-AVIRIS-NG-Robotic exploration. Astrobiology 18, 934-954.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Thompson
- 1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California
| | - Alberto Candela
- 2 The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - David S Wettergreen
- 2 The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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