NASA’s Mars Astrobiology Field Laboratory (AFL)-Part II
To successfully find life that may or may not be as we recognize it, is the key to developing any strategy for finding life yet still considering the mission a success. What NASA is doing now is sending out “feelers” in order to find imprints—biomarkers or biosignatures—through fields of geology or chemistry if they have not yet been destroyed by time and its processes. Phoenix will gather samples on Mars when it lands next May of 2008, which will begin on the highest/lowest areas on the Martian surfaces, going to multiple locations, such as the two Mars rovers.
The purpose of pre-selecting or identifying such samples that are considered high-priority, can also be sub-sampled to increase their detection. The reason the first solar target has been Mars for the NASA robotic exploration and searching for life is that it is the most similar to Earth than all the planets and stars of the solar system. In addition, there is evidence of liquid water on the red planet with the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera showing us that the images of water may be recent surface water. Many additional images are showing us that there is evidence of a Mars that has been warmer and wetter than what we are seeing now.
Not only NASA but also ESA through their Mars Express orbiter has shown us that trace amounts of methane are being found, demonstrating volcanism has been near the Martian surface or some form of life processes. With this concept in mind of the possibility of life on Mars, the AFL needs to look at the totality of the picture instead of just one life form. This will take about one Martian year for the mission to carry out its purpose and goals with 100 samples to be taken, with an analysis of ten samples in a full analytical laboratory.
If potential biomarkers are found and detected, then the development of another mission would become the next step. Also, to look at the entire picture there would need to be further exploration of the surface of Mars for diversity in chemicals and mineralogics, in addition to look at the environment for future missions.
The Mars Technology Program (MTP) develops all the technologies for the NASA Mars missions, as an element of the MEP. Two programs are used beneath the MTP program: the Base program and the Focused Technology Programs. The Focused Technology Program funds and develops technologies for specific missions, while the Base Technology Program is considered to be an ongoing program that funds low-TRL technologies to mature technology concepts, through required NASA Research Announcements.
This entry was posted on Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 11:19 pm and is filed under Mission History, Mission Objectives, Space Agency News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
