Biology
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufm.p51d1226b&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #P51D-1226
Biology
0394 Instruments And Techniques, 0406 Astrobiology And Extraterrestrial Materials
Scientific paper
The search for organic matter on Mars is rapidly emerging as a result of technological advancements and the study of early "life" on our own planet. As we learned from the Viking missions and the examination of martian meteorites, the criteria for establishing life require the appropriate strategy. One such approach would require careful mapping of the surface from orbit for the selection of the appropriate landing sites, robotic space missions equipped with several life detection in situ techniques for selection of samples, and sample return missions for additional verification of in situ results and laboratory measurements. It may, however, be possible to obtain critical information about the organic matter and associated mineral assemblages present on Mars, in situ, in a single measurement that is both capable of flight and is nondestructive to the sample. We discuss a new multi-source mass spectrometer, `MOMA' (Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer) that incorporates multiple methods of volatilizing and ionizing chemical compounds from intact samples without further processing or manipulation. Moreover, MOMA is capable of detecting a broad range of organics enabling the evaluation of the origin of the organics and the presence of terrestrial contaminants.
Becker Lee
Brinckerhoff W.
Cotter R.
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