Biosignature stability in space enables their use for life detection on Mars
Author(s)
Date Issued
2022
Type
article
Volume
8
Issue
36
Journal
Abstract
Two rover missions to Mars aim to detect biomolecules as a sign of extinct or extant life with, among other instruments, Raman spectrometers. However, there are many unknowns about the stability of Raman-detectable biomolecules in the martian environment, clouding the interpretation of the results. To quantify Raman-detectable biomolecule stability, we exposed seven biomolecules for 469 days to a simulated martian environment outside the International Space Station. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) strongly changed the Raman spectra signals, but only minor change was observed when samples were shielded from UVR. These findings provide support for Mars mission operations searching for biosignatures in the subsurface. This experiment demonstrates the detectability of biomolecules by Raman spectroscopy in Mars regolith analogs after space exposure and lays the groundwork for a consolidated space-proven database of spectroscopy biosignatures in targeted environments.
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
Baqué et al Science Advances 2022.pdf
Size
1.13 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1c44db475f7cc13b1fd3008c86abb196
Project(s)
ESA-ASI BIOMEX (BIOlogy and Mars EXperiment, 2013-2017) (PI J.-P. De Vera, DLR, Berlin, Germany)