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Miner KR, Hollis JR, Miller CE, Uckert K, Douglas TA, Cardarelli E, Mackelprang R. Earth to Mars: A Protocol for Characterizing Permafrost in the Context of Climate Change as an Analog for Extraplanetary Exploration. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1006-1018. [PMID: 37566539 PMCID: PMC10510695 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Abstract Permafrost is important from an exobiology and climate change perspective. It serves as an analog for extraplanetary exploration, and it threatens to emit globally significant amounts of greenhouse gases as it thaws due to climate change. Viable microbes survive in Earth's permafrost, slowly metabolizing and transforming organic matter through geologic time. Ancient permafrost microbial communities represent a crucial resource for gaining novel insights into survival strategies adopted by extremotolerant organisms in extraplanetary analogs. We present a proof-of-concept study on ∼22 Kya permafrost to determine the potential for coupling Raman and fluorescence biosignature detection technology from the NASA Mars Perseverance rover with microbial community characterization in frozen soils, which could be expanded to other Earth and off-Earth locations. Besides the well-known utility for biosignature detection and identification, our results indicate that spectral mapping of permafrost could be used to rapidly characterize organic carbon characteristics. Coupled with microbial community analyses, this method has the potential to enhance our understanding of carbon degradation and emissions in thawing permafrost. Further, spectroscopy can be accomplished in situ to mitigate sample transport challenges and in assessing and prioritizing frozen soils for further investigation. This method has broad-range applicability to understanding microbial communities and their associations with biosignatures and soil carbon and mineralogic characteristics relevant to climate science and astrobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley R. Miner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Charles E. Miller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Kyle Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Emily Cardarelli
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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Uckert K, Parness A, Chanover N, Eshelman EJ, Abcouwer N, Nash J, Detry R, Fuller C, Voelz D, Hull R, Flannery D, Bhartia R, Manatt KS, Abbey WJ, Boston P. Investigating Habitability with an Integrated Rock-Climbing Robot and Astrobiology Instrument Suite. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1427-1449. [PMID: 33052709 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A prototype rover carrying an astrobiology payload was developed and deployed at analog field sites to mature generalized system architectures capable of searching for biosignatures in extreme terrain across the Solar System. Specifically, the four-legged Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot (LEMUR) 3 climbing robot with microspine grippers carried three instruments: a micro-X-ray fluorescence instrument based on the Mars 2020 mission's Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry provided elemental chemistry; a deep-ultraviolet fluorescence instrument based on Mars 2020's Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals mapped organics in bacterial communities on opaque substrates; and a near-infrared acousto-optic tunable filter-based point spectrometer identified minerals and organics in the 1.6-3.6 μm range. The rover also carried a light detection and ranging and a color camera for both science and navigation. Combined, this payload detects astrobiologically important classes of rock components (elements, minerals, and organics) in extreme terrain, which, as demonstrated in this work, can reveal a correlation between textural biosignatures and the organics or elements expected to preserve them in a habitable environment. Across >10 field tests, milestones were achieved in instrument operations, autonomous mobility in extreme terrain, and system integration that can inform future planetary science mission architectures. Contributions include (1) system-level demonstration of mock missions to the vertical exposures of Mars lava tube caves and Mars canyon walls, (2) demonstration of multi-instrument integration into a confocal arrangement with surface scanning capabilities, and (3) demonstration of automated focus stacking algorithms for improved signal-to-noise ratios and reduced operation time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Aaron Parness
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Nancy Chanover
- New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - Evan J Eshelman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Neil Abcouwer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Jeremy Nash
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Renaud Detry
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Christine Fuller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - David Voelz
- New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - Robert Hull
- New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - David Flannery
- Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Kenneth S Manatt
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - William J Abbey
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Penelope Boston
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
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Malaska MJ, Bhartia R, Manatt KS, Priscu JC, Abbey WJ, Mellerowicz B, Palmowski J, Paulsen GL, Zacny K, Eshelman EJ, D'Andrilli J. Subsurface In Situ Detection of Microbes and Diverse Organic Matter Hotspots in the Greenland Ice Sheet. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1185-1211. [PMID: 32700965 PMCID: PMC7591382 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We used a deep-ultraviolet fluorescence mapping spectrometer, coupled to a drill system, to scan from the surface to 105 m depth into the Greenland ice sheet. The scan included firn and glacial ice and demonstrated that the instrument is able to determine small (mm) and large (cm) scale regions of organic matter concentration and discriminate spectral types of organic matter at high resolution. Both a linear point cloud scanning mode and a raster mapping mode were used to detect and localize microbial and organic matter "hotspots" embedded in the ice. Our instrument revealed diverse spectral signatures. Most hotspots were <20 mm in diameter, clearly isolated from other hotspots, and distributed stochastically; there was no evidence of layering in the ice at the fine scales examined (100 μm per pixel). The spectral signatures were consistent with organic matter fluorescence from microbes, lignins, fused-ring aromatic molecules, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and biologically derived materials such as fulvic acids. In situ detection of organic matter hotspots in ice prevents loss of spatial information and signal dilution when compared with traditional bulk analysis of ice core meltwaters. Our methodology could be useful for detecting microbial and organic hotspots in terrestrial icy environments and on future missions to the Ocean Worlds of our Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Malaska
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Kenneth S. Manatt
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - John C. Priscu
- Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - William J. Abbey
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kris Zacny
- Honeybee Robotics, Altadena, California, USA
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Carrier B, Beaty D, Meyer M, Blank J, Chou L, DasSarma S, Des Marais D, Eigenbrode J, Grefenstette N, Lanza N, Schuerger A, Schwendner P, Smith H, Stoker C, Tarnas J, Webster K, Bakermans C, Baxter B, Bell M, Benner S, Bolivar Torres H, Boston P, Bruner R, Clark B, DasSarma P, Engelhart A, Gallegos Z, Garvin Z, Gasda P, Green J, Harris R, Hoffman M, Kieft T, Koeppel A, Lee P, Li X, Lynch K, Mackelprang R, Mahaffy P, Matthies L, Nellessen M, Newsom H, Northup D, O'Connor B, Perl S, Quinn R, Rowe L, Sauterey B, Schneegurt M, Schulze-Makuch D, Scuderi L, Spilde M, Stamenković V, Torres Celis J, Viola D, Wade B, Walker C, Wiens R, Williams A, Williams J, Xu J. Mars Extant Life: What's Next? Conference Report. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:785-814. [PMID: 32466662 PMCID: PMC7307687 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
On November 5-8, 2019, the "Mars Extant Life: What's Next?" conference was convened in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The conference gathered a community of actively publishing experts in disciplines related to habitability and astrobiology. Primary conclusions are as follows: A significant subset of conference attendees concluded that there is a realistic possibility that Mars hosts indigenous microbial life. A powerful theme that permeated the conference is that the key to the search for martian extant life lies in identifying and exploring refugia ("oases"), where conditions are either permanently or episodically significantly more hospitable than average. Based on our existing knowledge of Mars, conference participants highlighted four potential martian refugium (not listed in priority order): Caves, Deep Subsurface, Ices, and Salts. The conference group did not attempt to reach a consensus prioritization of these candidate environments, but instead felt that a defensible prioritization would require a future competitive process. Within the context of these candidate environments, we identified a variety of geological search strategies that could narrow the search space. Additionally, we summarized a number of measurement techniques that could be used to detect evidence of extant life (if present). Again, it was not within the scope of the conference to prioritize these measurement techniques-that is best left for the competitive process. We specifically note that the number and sensitivity of detection methods that could be implemented if samples were returned to Earth greatly exceed the methodologies that could be used at Mars. Finally, important lessons to guide extant life search processes can be derived both from experiments carried out in terrestrial laboratories and analog field sites and from theoretical modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- B.L. Carrier
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - D.W. Beaty
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - J.G. Blank
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - L. Chou
- Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - S. DasSarma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - N.L. Lanza
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - A.C. Schuerger
- University of Florida/Space Life Sciences Laboratory, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
| | - P. Schwendner
- University of Florida/Space Life Sciences Laboratory, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
| | - H.D. Smith
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - C.R. Stoker
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - J.D. Tarnas
- Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - K.D. Webster
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - C. Bakermans
- Pennsylvania State University, Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - B.K. Baxter
- Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - M.S. Bell
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - S.A. Benner
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, Florida, USA
| | - H.H. Bolivar Torres
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Coyoacan, Distrito Federal Mexico, Mexico
| | - P.J. Boston
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - R. Bruner
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - B.C. Clark
- Space Science Institute, Littleton, Colorado, USA
| | - P. DasSarma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Z.E. Gallegos
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Z.K. Garvin
- Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - P.J. Gasda
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - J.H. Green
- Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - R.L. Harris
- Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - M.E. Hoffman
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - T. Kieft
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
| | | | - P.A. Lee
- College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - X. Li
- University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - K.L. Lynch
- Lunar and Planetary Institute/USRA, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - R. Mackelprang
- California State University Northridge, Northridge, California, USA
| | - P.R. Mahaffy
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - L.H. Matthies
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - H.E. Newsom
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - D.E. Northup
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | | | - S.M. Perl
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - R.C. Quinn
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - L.A. Rowe
- Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana, USA
| | | | | | | | - L.A. Scuderi
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - M.N. Spilde
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - V. Stamenković
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J.A. Torres Celis
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Coyoacan, Distrito Federal Mexico, Mexico
| | - D. Viola
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - B.D. Wade
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - C.J. Walker
- Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware, USA
| | - R.C. Wiens
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | | | - J.M. Williams
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - J. Xu
- University of Texas, El Paso, Texas, USA
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