Mars Sample Return (MSR): Planning for Returned Sample Science.
Published in Astrobiology
Recommendation on Orbiting Sample Cleanliness.
...Published in Astrobiology
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration-European Space Agency (NASA-ESA) Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign involves the collection of samples on Mars by the Perseverance (Mars 2020) rover and their return to Earth. To accomplish this, the Orbiting Sample container (OS) will be sent to Mars to accommodate the collected samples then launche...
Scientific Value of Including an Atmospheric Sample as Part of Mars Sample Return (MSR).
Published in Astrobiology
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 ...
Rationale and Proposed Design for a Mars Sample Return (MSR) Science Program.
...Published in Astrobiology
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign represents one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors ever undertaken. Analyses of the martian samples would offer unique science benefits that cannot be attained through orbital or landed missions that rely only on remote sensing and in situ measurements, respectively. As currently designed, the MSR Campai...
Planning Implications Related to Sterilization-Sensitive Science Investigations Associated with Mars Sample Return (MSR)...
...Published in Astrobiology
The NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign seeks to establish whether life on Mars existed where and when environmental conditions allowed. Laboratory measurements on the returned samples are useful if what is measured is evidence of phenomena on Mars rather than of the effects of sterilization conditions. This report establishes that there are...
Catalytic Synthesis of Polyribonucleic Acid on Prebiotic Rock Glasses.
Published in Astrobiology
Reported here are experiments that show that ribonucleoside triphosphates are converted to polyribonucleic acid when incubated with rock glasses similar to those likely present 4.3-4.4 billion years ago on the Hadean Earth surface, where they were formed by impacts and volcanism. This polyribonucleic acid averages 100-300 nucleotides in length, wit...
Extremophiles in Earth's Deep Seas: A View Toward Life in Exo-Oceans.
Published in Astrobiology
Humanity's search for extraterrestrial life is a modern manifestation of the exploratory and curious nature that has led us through millennia of scientific discoveries. With the ongoing exploration of extraterrestrial bodies, the potential for discovery of extraterrestrial life has expanded. We may better inform this search through an understanding...
Mineral Matrix Effects on Pyrolysis Products of Kerogens Infer Difficulties in Determining Biological Provenance of Macr...
Published in Astrobiology
Ancient martian organic matter is likely to take the form of kerogen-like recalcitrant macromolecular organic matter (MOM), existing in close association with reactive mineral surfaces, especially iron oxides. Detecting and identifying a biological origin for martian MOM will therefore be of utmost importance for life-detection efforts at Mars. We ...
Acritarch-like Microorganisms from the 1.9 Ga Gunflint Chert, Canada
Published in Astrobiology
Fossil evidence of eukaryotic life older than 1.8 Ga has long been debated because known fossils of that age usually lack cellular micro- and ultra-structures that bear strong affinities to eukaryotes. These include fossils of the ∼1.9 Ga Gunflint Chert microbiota that, despite being exceptionally well preserved, have suffered from cellular degrada...
Synthesis of Phospholipids Under Plausible Prebiotic Conditions and Analogies with Phospholipid Biochemistry for Origin ...
...Published in Astrobiology
Phospholipids are essential components of biological membranes and are involved in cell signalization, in several enzymatic reactions, and in energy metabolism. In addition, phospholipids represent an evolutionary and non-negligible step in life emergence. Progress in the past decades has led to a deeper understanding of these unique hydrophobic mo...
