Report of the COSPAR mars special regions colloquium

Kminek, Gerhard; Rummel, John D.; Cockell, Charles S.; Atlas, Robert; Barlow, N. G.; Beaty, D. W.; Boynton, W. V.; Carr, M. H.; Clifford, Stephen M.; Conley, C. A.; Dávila, Alfonso F.; Debus, A.; Doran, Peter T.; Hecht, M. H.; Heldmann, J. L.; Helbert, J.; Hipkin, V.; Horneck, G.; Kieft, Thomas L.; Klingelhoefer, G.; Meÿer, Michael A.; Newsom, H. E.; Ori, G. G.; Parnell, John; Prieur, Daniël; Raulin, F.; Schulze‐Makuch, Dirk; Spry, J. Andy; Stabekis, P.E.; Stackebrandt, Erko; Vago, Jorge L.; Viso, Michel; Voytek, Mary A.; Wells, Llyd E.; Westall, Francès

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2010.04.039

Cited by 53 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 101 publications

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“…Once the planetary landing probe has arrived at the surface of Mars, putative spore passengers are confronted with an environment as partially mimicked in tray 2 for the ''stay on Mars'' spores. While the applied atmospheric pressure and composition, the spectrum of UV radiation, and the level of cosmic radiation represented the martian conditions fairly well (Dartnell et al, 2007;Kminek et al, 2010), PROTECT did not simulate the martian diurnal variations of sunlight and temperature. Because the martian solar constant is only 45% that of Earth's (due to the difference in their distance from the Sun), the calculated Earth solar constant hours (s.c.h.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resistance of Bacterial Endospores to Outer Space for Planetary Protection Purposes—Experiment PROTECT of the EXPOSE-E Mission

et al. 2012

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Spore-forming bacteria are of particular concern in the context of planetary protection because their tough endospores may withstand certain sterilization procedures as well as the harsh environments of outer space or planetary surfaces. To test their hardiness on a hypothetical mission to Mars, spores of Bacillus subtilis 168 and Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 were exposed for 1.5 years to selected parameters of space in the experiment PRO-TECT during the EXPOSE-E mission on board the International Space Station. Mounted as dry layers on spacecraft-qualified aluminum coupons, the ''trip to Mars'' spores experienced space vacuum, cosmic and extraterrestrial solar radiation, and temperature fluctuations, whereas the ''stay on Mars'' spores were subjected to a simulated martian environment that included atmospheric pressure and composition, and UV and cosmic radiation. The survival of spores from both assays was determined after retrieval. It was clearly shown that solar extraterrestrial UV radiation (k ‡ 110 nm) as well as the martian UV spectrum (k ‡ 200 nm) was the most deleterious factor applied; in some samples only a few survivors were recovered from spores exposed in monolayers. Spores in multilayers survived better by several orders of magnitude. All other environmental parameters encountered by the ''trip to Mars'' or ''stay on Mars'' spores did little harm to the spores, which showed about 50% survival or more. The data demonstrate the high chance of survival of spores on a Mars mission, if protected against solar irradiation. These results will have implications for planetary protection considerations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resistance of Bacterial Endospores to Outer Space for Planetary Protection Purposes—Experiment PROTECT of the EXPOSE-E Mission

et al. 2012

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“…The current standards are based solely on protecting science goals and not on protecting Mars in and of itself. The NRC study takes a precautionary principle approach by stating that there is insufficient data to determine which regions of Mars should be considered "special" and that all of Mars should be considered "special" until it can be proven otherwise [19,20]. The COSPAR disagreed and concluded that there was sufficient data to arrive at a conclusion as to which areas of Mars would be defined as "Special Regions" [20].…”

Section: Formulating Special Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The COSPAR colloquium on special regions stated that "Preventing terrestrial biological contamination from becoming established and widespread on Mars is essential to our ability to protect high-priority science goals on Mars" [20]. The current standards are based solely on protecting science goals and not on protecting Mars in and of itself.…”

Section: Formulating Special Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are We Alone? The Search for Life on Mars and Other Planetary Bodies

Smith¹,

Paszczyński²,

Childers³

2018

Into Space - A Journey of How Humans Adapt and Live in Microgravity

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Extensive research has shown the potential for microorganisms to survive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Our current understanding of diverse life on Earth implies that, even though the surface of Mars is very inhospitable to life, it is possible that there may be indigenous microorganisms on Mars, especially in the protective subsurface. Ultimately, a better understanding of microbial diversity on Earth is needed to determine the limits of life to help determine the potential for life on Mars and other exoplanets.

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“…Organisms that inhabit these extremes are 'polyextremophiles'. Yet, despite the importance of multiple extremes for astrobiology, little is known about the synergistic effect of multiple extremes on biology (Harrison et al 2013;Kminek et al 2010).…”

Section: What Are the Limits?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrobiology and the Possibility of Life on Earth and Elsewhere…

et al. 2015

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Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary scientific field not only focused on the search of extraterrestrial life, but also on deciphering the key environmental parameters that have enabled the emergence of life on Earth. Understanding these physical and chemical parameters is fundamental knowledge necessary not only for discovering life or signs of life on other planets, but also for understanding our own terrestrial environment. Therefore, astrobiology pushes us to combine different perspectives such as the conditions on the primitive Earth, the Team of interdisciplinary scientists focused on astrobiology to review the profound transformations in the field that have occurred since the beginning of the new century. The present paper is an interdisciplinary review of current research in astrobiology, covering the major advances and main outlooks in the field. The following subjects will be reviewed and most recent discoveries will be highlighted: the new understanding of planetary system formation including the specificity of the Earth among the diversity of planets, the origin of water on Earth and its unique combined properties among solvents for the emergence of life, the idea that the Earth could have been habitable during the Hadean Era, the inventory of endogenous and exogenous sources of organic matter and new concepts about how chemistry could evolve towards biological molecules and biological systems. In addition, many new findings show the remarkable potential life has for adaptation and survival in extreme environments. All those results from different fields of science are guiding our perspectives and strategies to look for life in other Solar System objects as well as beyond, in extrasolar worlds.

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Report of the COSPAR mars special regions colloquium

Cited by 53 publications

References 101 publications

Resistance of Bacterial Endospores to Outer Space for Planetary Protection Purposes—Experiment PROTECT of the EXPOSE-E Mission

Resistance of Bacterial Endospores to Outer Space for Planetary Protection Purposes—Experiment PROTECT of the EXPOSE-E Mission

Are We Alone? The Search for Life on Mars and Other Planetary Bodies

Astrobiology and the Possibility of Life on Earth and Elsewhere…

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