Science Investigation Life in the Atacama 2004 Science & Technology Workshop Nathalie A. Cabrol...

Science Investigation

Life in the Atacama 2004Science & Technology Workshop

Nathalie A. CabrolNASA Ames

Life in the Atacama 2004 Workshop 2 Carnegie Mellon

Outline of Presentation

Science Objectives and Investigation Plan

Science Activities since 12/03 Overall Science Goals Review of Science Questions and Objectives Summary of Year 01 Campaign Results Introduction to Year 02 Field Campaign

Life in the Atacama 2004 Workshop 3 Carnegie Mellon

Science Activities since 12/03

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Overall Science Mission: A real science question on Earth with critical applications to Mars

• Understand the Atacama as an habitat for life (large NASA and ASTEP effort);

• Document the limits of life on Earth;

• Test the capacity of a science payload to detect and characterize life in one of the most desertic terrestrial environments for application to Mars exploration

•**Document the current detection limit of life on Earth (robotic vs. human) and collect metrics and data for Mars exploration (new vision);

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Overall Science Mission: A real science question on Earth with critical applications to Mars

• Remote Science:Test astrobiological exploration strategies and train planetary scientists to benefit future Mars mission operations;

• Telepresence: Test astrobiological exploration strategies for the robotic exploration of extreme terrestrial environments

•** Make genuine discoveries and contribute to the body of knowledge about the Atacama and life in terrestrial extreme environments;

•**Generate a scientific archive that will summarize the results of this campaign (e.g., sample library)

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Science Question: Can we unambiguously identify the signatures of life remotely?

• Goal 1: Establish the presence of life in situ :

• Goal 2: Establish the gradient of life in the Atacama Desert as an Analog to Mars

• No speculation

• Converging evidence from Science Payload Instruments

• ** Is unambiguous realistic? If not,

• ** How to increase the probability of detecting life signature?

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Objective 1

• Map habitats and understand past and/or present environmental conditions associated to life

• Morphology

• Geology

• Environment

• Texture, Physical, and Elemental Properties of Rocks and Soils

• Properties and structure of the subsurface (e.g., H2O)

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Objective 2

• Document how life modifies its environment

• Identify extant/extinct biosignatures, such as patterns, symmetries, colors associated with life activity

• Identify the geosignatures of life (e.g., constructs, biomineralization)

• Characterize the survival strategies derived from the interaction between life and environment

Life in the Atacama 2004 Workshop 9 Carnegie Mellon

Objective 3.1

•Analyze Samples

• During the mission (science field team, see ground-truth, E. A. Grin)

• Post-mission (Lab analysis)

• searching for life: full array

• Comparison with Remote Science Team (RST) results

• Identify limitations, missed habitats and life (or lack thereof) and try to establish possible causes.

Life in the Atacama 2004 Workshop 10 Carnegie Mellon

Objective 3.2

Generate a Science Database• Establish a rigorous and consistent sampling method to

create a lasting database & archives of the Atacama bioactivity.

• Identify database structure and content outline prior to the mission (see ground-truth, E. A. Grin);

• Organize and maintain a web-based archive that will become a scientific archive for post-mission to be used by the science community abroad;

• Exchange information with other groups working in the Atacama (e.g., McKay) and update the database;

• Turn it over to NASA after the end of the project?

Life in the Atacama 2004 Workshop 11 Carnegie Mellon

Objective 4

Develop New Remote Operations Tools That Improve Science Data Collection, Access, and Facilitate Interpretation and Sharing Between Science Theme Groups -STGs- (see Coppin, Wagner, et al.,)

• Test science tools during training sessions• Demonstrate tool use during the Atacama mission• Promote tools to NASA for use in future planetary

missions

Life in the Atacama 2004 Workshop 12 Carnegie Mellon

Objective 5

Understand the Rover Science Mission Process to Improve the Operational Efficiency and Productivity of Future Missions (see Thomas et al., )

(How Mission Scientists Use the Data to Generate Observations and Hypotheses How Observations Lead to New Sequences Science Conclusions)

• Monitor the RST’s activity during the Atacama mission

• Establish ties between interpretation challenges to specific data types and interface tools

• Understand better the process that turns raw data into scientific conclusions:

• Group Theme Level

• RST Level

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Objective 6

Publish the Science Results

• 02’ Campaign High-Priority

• Submit papers within 6 months of end of mission and agree on publication policies with “satellite” projects

• Science or Nature, one or a series of papers on the theme of searching life with automated vehicles (transition between MER and MSL). Contact editors;

• Astrobiology or Journal of Geophysical Research. Contact the editor for a possible Special Issue to be published in a year or so. Could include:• Our project results• Other Atacama scientists papers. McKay has agreed on the

principle and is highly favorable to the idea.

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Objective 7

Education and Public Outreach

•Develop a project that conveys the excitement of exploration and discovery to the general public, and classroom. (see P. Coppin)

• Project is related to Mars Exploration and Zoe Rover field campaign

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Summary of Year 01 Campaign Results: Geology / Morphology

•How did the RST perceive the Atacama through Hyperion?

Very-High RST Interpretation Accuracy Level Compared to Ground-Truth

SPI: MER Equivalent Camera

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3 out of 4 hypothesized habitats were observed by the RST:• Habitat Type 1: Saline Environment -- hydrated sulfate, possibly gypsum (confirmed for sample 16);

• Habitat Type 2: Desert Pavement/Alluvial fan material

•Habitat Type 3: Soil

• Year 01 Campaign could not confirm unambiguously the presence of chlorophyll-based life. Instrument suffered from stray reflecting light entering the camera creating artifacts.

•Necessity of more than one sensor to confirm a positive

Year 01: Habitats

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Year 01: Environment

Sol 3 pan 115-R Sol 3 pan 163-R

Sol 3 pan 176-R Sol 3 pan 210-R

T, P, RH, UVA-UVB: RST Identified possible weather patterns and moisture sources

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Year 01: Mineralogy: Vis/NIR

Mineralogical Environment

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Year 01 Biology: Fluorescence

VIS 530-570 450-660

• 24 samples acquired, 12 indicated a weak chlorophyll feature from spectral analysis. Only 1 strong (sample 3);

• No fluorescence data was sufficient to confirm the unambiguous presence of chlorophyll-based life.

• Instrument capable of detecting very low light level;

• Dyes necessary to confirm life? (see Waggoner et al.,)

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• Building on Year 01 Methods and Results both for science and technology. Ongoing exploration;

• Two exploration sites, which will allow the RST to continue mapping the gradient of life and habitats in the Atacama;

• More payload instruments integrated onboard the rover;

• Some new instruments;

• Mars and Earth exploration strategies

Year 02 Science Campaign: Introduction