Searching for Traces of Life With the ExoMars Rover

Vago, Jorge L.; Coates, A. J.; Jaumann, R.; Korablev, Oleg; Ciarletti, Valérie; Митрофанов, И. Г.; Josset, Jean-Luc; Westall, Francès; Sanctis, M. C. De; Bibring, Jean‐Pierre; Rull, Fernando; Goesmann, Fred; Brinckerhoff, W. B.; Raulin, F.; Sefton‐Nash, E.; Svedhem, H.; Kminek, Gerhard; Rodionov, D.; Baglioni, P.; Team, ExoMars

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809935-3.00011-6

Cited by 25 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…The ESA ExoMars rover mission aims to search for past/present life traces on Mars and to investigate the geochemical and environmental evolution of the planet 1,2 .…”

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confidence: 99%

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars

Veneranda

López‐Reyes

Manrique

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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This work aims to evaluate whether the multi-point analysis the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) will perform on powdered samples could serve to classify ultramafic rocks on Mars. To do so, the RLS ExoMars Simulator was used to study terrestrial analogues of Martian peridotites and pyroxenites by applying the operational constraints of the Raman spectrometer onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover. Besides qualitative analysis, RLS-dedicated calibration curves have been built to estimate the relative content of olivine and pyroxenes in the samples. These semi-quantitative results, combined with a rough estimate of the concentration ratio between clino- and ortho-pyroxene mineral phases, were used to classify the terrestrial analogues. XRD data were finally employed as reference to validate Raman results. As this preliminary work suggests, ultramafic rocks on Mars could be effectively classified through the chemometric analysis of RLS data sets. After optimization, the proposed chemometric tools could be applied to the study of the volcanic geological areas detected at the ExoMars landing site (Oxia Planum), whose mineralogical composition and geological evolution have not been fully understood.

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“…The ESA ExoMars rover mission aims to search for past/present life traces on Mars and to investigate the geochemical and environmental evolution of the planet 1,2 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars

Veneranda

López‐Reyes

Manrique

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Furthermore, it is important to anticipate resulting Raman spectra with respect to space missions like ExoMars2020 (ESA) or Mars 2020 (NASA) [1][2][3] that have a Raman spectrometer on board and to preevaluate the data in order to optimize the instrument design during its development to ensure correct interpretation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Raman spectra of hydrous minerals investigated under various environmental conditions in preparation for planetary space missions

Weber

Böttger²,

Pavlov³

et al. 2018

J Raman Spectroscopy

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Raman spectrometers will be part of the scientific payload of the future lander missions to Mars, icy moons, and asteroids. Their primary task is the search for life including the detailed characterization of the planetary environment. H2O/OH−‐bearing minerals are essential for biological processes; thus, their investigation will have a special focus. Cyclic temperature variations on planetary surfaces, for example, on Mars between 300 and 140 K from summer midday to winter night, induce re‐organization of the internal mineral structures, which can be monitored by Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, temperature dependent changes in Raman spectra under step‐wise cooling/re‐heating of typical planetary surface related H2O/OH−‐bearing minerals (e.g., carnallite, natrolite, gypsum, phlogopite, talc, and tremolite) are the focus of this work. Spectra were taken under space relevant simulated conditions, from vacuum and cryogenic temperature to room conditions, including those that resemble the Martian surface atmosphere. Special attention was dedicated to the typical vibrational stretching modes of H2O/OH−‐bearing minerals. H2O‐bearing minerals exhibit significantly different temperature related changes when compared to OH−‐bearing minerals. We observed the formation of an ice‐like Raman spectrum during step‐wise deep cooling of carnallite. Gypsum shows a blue shift of the H2O band with decreasing temperature. All other investigated minerals display no significant variations over the entire Raman relevant spectral range. The results of this study are be made available in a Raman database of the flight Raman instruments.

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“…The latter device will be installed in the robotic arm instrument called Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) [65][66][67]. Similarly, the 2020 ESA mission will carry the Rosalind Franklin rover, which includes the Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) and the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) instruments [68]. Both instruments, independently designed and manufactured, are based on different laser approaches.…”

Section: Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser Technology in Photonic Applications for Space

Guilhot

Ribes-Pleguezuelo

2019

Instruments

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The registered history of laser technologies for space application starts with the first laser echoes reflected off the Moon in 1962. Since then, photonic technologies have become very prominent in most technical development. Their presence has also dramatically increased in space applications thanks to the many advantages they present over traditional equivalent devices, such as the immunity against electromagnetic interference, as well as their efficiency and low power consumption. Lasers are one of the key components in most of those applications. In this review, we present an overview of the main technologies involving lasers that are currently deployed in space, before reviewing the requirements for lasers to be reliable in that environment before discussing the advantages and drawbacks of replacing standard technologies by newly developed photonic laser-based devices.

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Searching for Traces of Life With the ExoMars Rover

Cited by 25 publications

References 90 publications

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars

Raman spectra of hydrous minerals investigated under various environmental conditions in preparation for planetary space missions

Laser Technology in Photonic Applications for Space

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