Mars Sample Return Campaign Concept Status

Muirhead, Brian; Nicholas, Austin; Umland, Jeffrey W.; Sutherland, Orson; Vijendran, S.

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.06.026

Cited by 81 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Assessing the biomarkers preservation under a highly radiative environment is of outmost importance to support these missions and to estimate the stability/degradation rates of biological molecules [ 49 ]. Besides, the investigation of the techniques could be used to evaluate the hypothetical biomolecules damages and is a test bed for the future Mars samples return (MSR) on Earth [ 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the Survival Capabilities of Cryomyces antarcticus Hydrated Colonies after Exposure to Fe Particle Radiation

Pacelli

Cassaro

Siong

et al. 2021

JoF

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The modern concept of the evolution of Mars assumes that life could potentially have originated on the planet Mars, possibly during the end of the late heavy bombardment, and could then be transferred to other planets. Since then, physical and chemical conditions on Mars changed and now strongly limit the presence of terrestrial-like life forms. These adverse conditions include scarcity of liquid water (although brine solutions may exist), low temperature and atmospheric pressure, and cosmic radiation. Ionizing radiation is very important among these life-constraining factors because it damages DNA and other cellular components, particularly in liquid conditions where radiation-induced reactive oxidants diffuse freely. Here, we investigated the impact of high doses (up to 2 kGy) of densely-ionizing (197.6 keV/µm), space-relevant iron ions (corresponding on the irradiation that reach the uppermost layer of the Mars subsurface) on the survival of an extremophilic terrestrial organism—Cryomyces antarcticus—in liquid medium and under atmospheric conditions, through different techniques. Results showed that it survived in a metabolically active state when subjected to high doses of Fe ions and was able to repair eventual DNA damages. It implies that some terrestrial life forms can withstand prolonged exposure to space-relevant ion radiation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the Survival Capabilities of Cryomyces antarcticus Hydrated Colonies after Exposure to Fe Particle Radiation

Pacelli

Cassaro

Siong

et al. 2021

JoF

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“…Other mission concepts to Europa have also begun to integrate agnostic search strategies to account for the presence of potentially unfamiliar life forms (Mahaffy et al, 2021). In addition, sample return missions have been proposed for Mars and Enceladus to leverage the use of multiple instrument platforms to look for signs of life once the samples are back on Earth (Muirhead et al, 2020;Neveu et al, 2020;MacKenzie et al, 2021), especially those that have yet to be miniaturized for flight (e.g., nano-SIMS). Because agnostic life detection strategies can be implemented in near future missions, emerging concepts in agnostic biosignatures are concurrently being optimized in the laboratory in order to enhance the science return and increase our confidence in any future potential life detection measurements.…”

Section: The Future In Planetary Mass Spectrometry and Life Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planetary Mass Spectrometry for Agnostic Life Detection in the Solar System

Chou

Mahaffy

Trainer

et al. 2021

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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For the past fifty years of space exploration, mass spectrometry has provided unique chemical and physical insights on the characteristics of other planetary bodies in the Solar System. A variety of mass spectrometer types, including magnetic sector, quadrupole, time-of-flight, and ion trap, have and will continue to deepen our understanding of the formation and evolution of exploration targets like the surfaces and atmospheres of planets and their moons. An important impetus for the continuing exploration of Mars, Europa, Enceladus, Titan, and Venus involves assessing the habitability of solar system bodies and, ultimately, the search for life—a monumental effort that can be advanced by mass spectrometry. Modern flight-capable mass spectrometers, in combination with various sample processing, separation, and ionization techniques enable sensitive detection of chemical biosignatures. While our canonical knowledge of biosignatures is rooted in Terran-based examples, agnostic approaches in astrobiology can cast a wider net, to search for signs of life that may not be based on Terran-like biochemistry. Here, we delve into the search for extraterrestrial chemical and morphological biosignatures and examine several possible approaches to agnostic life detection using mass spectrometry. We discuss how future missions can help ensure that our search strategies are inclusive of unfamiliar life forms.

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“…This said, the Perseverance rover provides the opportunity of more sophisticate analyses. The Mars 2020 mission will not only seek the signs of ancient life in situ but also cache a maximum of 43 samples for a possible return to Earth by a follow-on mission (Williford et al, 2018;Grady, 2020;Muirhead et al, 2020;NASA, 2021). Predictive maps can therefore suggest the optimal cache strategy, based on the assumption that each type of biogenic structure (bioturbation, bioerosion, biostratification) requires a specific type of analysis due to its size constraints.…”

Section: An Ichnological Strategy For the Perseverance Rovermentioning

confidence: 99%

A predictive model for the ichnological suitability of the Jezero crater, Mars: searching for fossilized traces of life-substrate interactions in the 2020 Rover Mission Landing Site

Baucon

Carvalho

Briguglio

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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Ichnofossils, the fossilized products of life-substrate interactions, are among the most abundant biosignatures on Earth and therefore they may provide scientific evidence of potential life that may have existed on Mars. Ichnofossils offer unique advantages in the search for extraterrestrial life, including the fact that they are resilient to processes that obliterate other evidence for past life, such as body fossils, as well as chemical and isotopic biosignatures. The goal of this paper is evaluating the suitability of the Mars 2020 Landing Site for ichnofossils. To this goal, we apply palaeontological predictive modelling, a technique used to forecast the location of fossil sites in uninvestigated areas on Earth. Accordingly, a geographic information system (GIS) of the landing site is developed. Each layer of the GIS maps the suitability for one or more ichnofossil types (bioturbation, bioerosion, biostratification structures) based on an assessment of a single attribute (suitability factor) of the Martian environment. Suitability criteria have been selected among the environmental attributes that control ichnofossil abundance and preservation in 18 reference sites on Earth. The goal of this research is delivered through three predictive maps showing which areas of the Mars 2020 Landing Site are more likely to preserve potential ichnofossils. On the basis of these maps, an ichnological strategy for the Perseverance rover is identified, indicating (1) 10 sites on Mars with high suitability for bioturbation, bioerosion and biostratification ichnofossils, (2) the ichnofossil types, if any, that are more likely to be present at each site, (3) the most efficient observation strategy for detecting eventual ichnofossils. The predictive maps and the ichnological strategy can be easily integrated in the existing plans for the exploration of the Jezero crater, realizing benefits in life-search efficiency and cost-reduction.

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Mars Sample Return Campaign Concept Status

Cited by 81 publications

References 2 publications

Insights into the Survival Capabilities of Cryomyces antarcticus Hydrated Colonies after Exposure to Fe Particle Radiation

Insights into the Survival Capabilities of Cryomyces antarcticus Hydrated Colonies after Exposure to Fe Particle Radiation

Planetary Mass Spectrometry for Agnostic Life Detection in the Solar System

A predictive model for the ichnological suitability of the Jezero crater, Mars: searching for fossilized traces of life-substrate interactions in the 2020 Rover Mission Landing Site

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