Other
Scientific paper
May 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agusm.p51a..05a&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2002, abstract #P51A-05
Other
5455 Origin And Evolution, 5494 Instruments And Techniques, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
An overarching emphasis for Mars exploration should focus on defining the global tectonic and climatic cycles and how they have evolved in space and time. Further, as part of the delineation of these cycles we should define the locations and nature of reservoirs of biogeochemically active species (C, N, P, S compounds, water), particularly for key settings (energy sources available, biochemically active species present, some degree of protection) where life may have developed and evolved. At least two discovery-driven pathways can be defined to address the exploration focus: a. We discover through analysis of observations acquired through end of the 2009 Smart Lander (SML) Mission that these key settings can be found and accessed and we go for sample return at the Smart Lander site. b. We discover through analysis of observations acquired through the end of SML Mission era that these key settings can be found and accessed and we go for detailed in-situ analyses of these areas as an alternative to sample return. The Program would be successful for all pathways whether or not life is found as long as we define the global cycles through space and time and we find and explore the key setting areas where life may have developed and evolved. It would be equally interesting to go to an area where protection, energy, and biogeochemically active species have been present for a long time and: (a) not find prebiotic compounds or extinct or extant life, or (b) find prebiotic com-pounds and evidence of extinct or extant life. If the former, why did prebiotic compounds and life fail to develop? If the latter, what compounds or organisms do we have and why? In either case we need to understand the context for these measurements and that demands an understanding of the global cycles and how they have varied in space and time. The question is not whether to go for sample return or in-situ observations. Rather the two methods are com-plementary in that in-situ observations pave the way for the rationale for sample return and, if sample return is pre-cluded because of cost or other issues, in-situ observations can be used to provide a tremendous wealth of informa-tion that directly addresses global cycles and habitability.
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