Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ASTROBIOLOGY
Volume 20, Issue 5, Pages 345-358Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S1473550421000240
Keywords
Biomarkers; exploration missions; life detection; Mars; pigments; spectroscopy
Funding
- Italian Space Agency [2013-063-R.0, 2018-6-U.0]
- European Union [654208]
- German Aerospace Center (DLR) within the DLR-FuW-Project BIOMEX [2474128]
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Mars is a primary target of astrobiological interest, and organic biomarkers can still be detected under space and Mars-like conditions. This has important implications for future Mars exploration.
Mars is a primary target of astrobiological interest: its past environmental conditions may have been favourable to the emergence of a prebiotic chemistry and, potentially, biological activity. In situ exploration is currently underway at the Mars surface, and the subsurface (2 m depth) will be explored in the future ESA ExoMars mission. In this context, BIOlogy and Mars EXperiment was performed to evaluate the stability and detectability of organic biomarkers under space and Mars-like conditions. Our data suggested that some target molecules, namely melanin, azelaic acid and nucleic acids, can be detected even after 16 months exposure to Low Earth Orbit conditions by multidisciplinary approaches. We used the same techniques as onboard the ExoMars rover, as Raman and infrared spectroscopies and gas chrornatograph-mass spectrometer, and polymerise chain reaction even if this is not planned for the imminent mission to Mars. These results should be taken into account for future Mars exploration.
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