2006 Annual Science Report
Astrobiology Roadmap Objective 7.2 Reports Reporting | JUL 2005 – JUN 2006
Roadmap Objective 7.2—Biosignatures to be sought in nearby planetary systems
Project Reports
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Project 6. Molecular and Isotopic Biosignatures
Co-Investigator Steele and Postdoctoral Fellow Marc Fries used the new WiTec Raman imaging system to begin the examination of in situ carbon formation in a variety of samples, including Precambrian rocks and samples from a Mars analog site in Svalbard.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Characterization of Terrestrial Planets From Disk-Averaged Spectra: Spatially and Spectrally Resolved Planetary Models
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 7.2 -
Iron and Sulfur-Based Biospheres and Their Biosignatures
A core focus for the research within the BioMars project has centered on the topic of microbial communities sustained by iron and sulfur cycling, as these elements are abundant at the Mars surface and exist in multiple redox states, as would be required if they play a metabolic role. Our team has investigated a number of potential Earth analog systems, with a view to understanding their geochemistry, microbiology, and potential biosignatures.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 7.1 7.2 -
A 1-D Climate Model for Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.2 -
Biosignatures in Chemosynthetic and Photosynthetic Systems
During the past year, our team has made strong contributions in research, mission involvement, synergistic community activities, and education & public outreach.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 5.1 5.2 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Project 1. From Molecular Clouds to Habitable Planetary Systems
The work this year of Co-Investigator Chambers involved the development of a model for the oligarchic growth stage of planet formation, a key stage that determines many of the final characteristics of a planetary system
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 3.1 7.2 -
Design and Assembly of a Cavity-Ring Down Spectrometer for Determination of Concentration and Isotopic Composition of Methane in Gases
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.2 3.3 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Iron Oxidation – Shaping the Past and Present Environments
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.1 6.1 7.2 -
The Generalized Terrestrial Planet Photochemical Model
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 7.2 -
Ecosystem to Biosphere Modeling
The newly completed methanogenesis component of the model MBGC (MicrobialBioGeoChemistry) was used to examine the effects of competition between methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria on metabolism and gas flux in the microbial mat.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
The Abiotic Planetary Model: The Upper and Lower Boundary Condition on the Atmosphere
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 7.2 -
Transcriptomes of Permafrost Bacteria
Cold temperatures, low water activity, and low nutrient availability are biological stressors for microbes residing in permafrosts. Psychrobacter arcticus 273-4 was isolated after inhabiting Kolyma permafrosts for 10,000-40,000 yr.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 7.2 -
Prebiotic Organics From Space
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 3.4 4.3 7.1 7.2 -
Origins and Signatures of Biogenic Hydrocarbons – Controls on the Transition From Abiogenic Geochemistry to Biotic Systems in the Deep Subsurface and Identification of Signature for Life
Studies of deep subsurface, ecosystems hosted by ancient groundwater are directly relevant to the exploration for extant life in the subsurface of Mars. Laboratory investigations focus on determining the types of prebiotic compounds that form in the subsurface and assessing whether life itself could have been spawned beneath a planet’s surface. Field investigations focus on deep subsurface groundwater sampled at commercial mines in South African and Canadian Archaean rocks.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
The Virtual Planetary Laboratory – The Life Modules
Field research on the freshwater bacteria of Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico (Siefert). These communities are good proxies for early earth type bacterially-dominated systems. To understand the community dynamics that lead to microbialite (general term for structures produced by microbial precipitation) the metagenomes of two microbialites, from two separate regions of the system were performed using 454 sequencing technology.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Database of Molecular Spectroscopy to Support Extrasolar Planet Modeling
The VPL database of molecular spectroscopic parameters contains a compilation of calculated and experimental linelists (including line positions, line intensities, lower state transition energies and broadening coefficients) combined with a collection of empirical absorption cross-sections for specific molecules of interest to planetary environmental and spectrum generating models. These data reside on the VPL’s supercomputer for use with the VPL atmospheric and spectral generation models.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 7.2 -
Experimental Study of Radiolytic Oxidation of Pyrite: Implications for Mars-Relevant Crustal Processes
In subsurface environments, radiolysis can produce gradients of both electron acceptors and electron donors that are possible sources of metabolic energy [2]. Radiation-induced chemical reactions have particular significance in geologic environments where molecular oxygen derived from the atmosphere is a negligible input.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.3 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
Laboratory Microbial Simulations (House)
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.4 4.1 5.1 5.2 7.2 -
Early Oceans on Mars
The idea that standing bodies of water might once have existed on Mars’ surface is supported by several lines of evidence, including geologic and topographic features near the margins of the northern lowlands that have been interpreted as shorelines formed by ancient oceans
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 7.1 7.2 -
Database of Stellar Spectra to Support Extrasolar Planet Modeling
We established a database of stellar spectra during the past year to serve as a
dynamic repository within the VPL website for accurate reference spectra of stars
that are considered relevant hosts in the search for habitable exoplanets.ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 4.1 6.2 7.2 -
Model Synthesis and Architecture
The VPL integrated model to develop self-consistent planetary environments has acquired several separate components into its model suite over the past year, including weathering, land model, and tectonic/solid earth components. These are now housed in a version controlled online database of all VPL software components, including the coupled online model as well as other model components under development.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.1 4.3 7.2 -
Development of Laser Ablation Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Missions
This project seeks to miniaturize and shock-harden an electrospray ionization rotating field mass spectrometer (ESI-RFMS) for high precision measurements of aqueous geochemistry on Mars (Fig. 1).
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 6.1 7.2 -
Development of Rotating Field Mass Spectroscopy for Planetary Missions
This project seeks to miniaturize and shock-harden an electrospray ionization rotating field mass spectrometer (ESI-RFMS) for high precision measurements of aqueous geochemistry on Mars (Fig. 1). It has the strengths of being small, low power, low mass and requires no precision machining.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 7.2 -
Extrasolar Planet Detection and Characterization
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 7.2 -
Characterization of Terrestrial Planets From Disk-Averaged Spectra: Earths Around Other Stars
The results of our coupled climate-chemical modeling of Earth-like planet atmospheres around M stars was published (Segura et al., 2005).
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.3 7.2 -
Understanding the Earth’s Early Environment
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 7.2