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Project Reports

• 1. From Molecular Clouds to Habitable Planetary Systems

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1

• Abiotic Nitrogen Cycling

  This work considers how the chemistry in the atmosphere of Mars (and other “Earth-like” planets) may have affected life, including how prebiotic nitrogen species may have been formed for the origin of life, and how these atmospheres may have been changed. When too much nitrogen is removed from the atmosphere, this can result in a planet with too little atmospheric pressure to support liquid water and life on the surface.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 3.1

• Biosignatures in Chemosynthetic and Photosynthetic Systems

  Our work examines the microbiology and geochemistry of microbial ecosystems on Earth in order to better understand the production of “biosignatures” — chemical or physical features or patterns that can only have been formed by the activities of life. More specifically, in photosynthetic (light-eating) microbial mats, we examine the factors that control the formation of biosignature gases (such as could be seen by telescope in the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars) and isotopic and morphological features that could be preserved in the rock record (such as could be examined by rovers on Mars). Additionally, we study the formation of morphological and mineral signatures in chemotrophic (chemical-eating) systems that have no direct access to light or the products of photosynthesis. Such systems likely represent the only viable possibility for extant life on modern day Mars or Europa.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 5.1 5.2 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Amino Acid Preservation in Saline-Lake Sediments and Mars-Simulant Regolith

  Potentially habitable environments on the Martian surface have been identified by orbital spectroscopy and by landed instruments on the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs). Identification of evaporite mineral assemblages on Mars provides strong evidence for the widespread role of evaporitic water bodies of water in the past. Evaporite minerals may provide enhanced preservation of biomolecules by sequestration of organic constituents into mineral matrices during crystallization. The utilization of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, as a distinct biosignature that could be extracted from evaporite phases would provide a strong biosignature for life having existed in the past or persisting to the present on Mars.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.2 5.1 5.3 7.1

• Characterization of Aqueous Processes on Mars Through Spectral Remote Sensing

  We are analyzing spectral data of Mars including i) CRISM images for the presence of phyllosilicates and sulfates and ii) MER Gusev crater Pancam data of the bright salty soils. This also involves characterizing the spectral properties of i) phyllosilicates and sulfates having a variety of mineral structures, and ii) altered volcanic material containing phyllosilicates and sulfates.

  Work this year on the bright salty soils found at Paso Robles and other sites in Gusev crater showed that this material is composed of the ferric minerals ferricopiapite, fibroferrite and/or ferristrunzite (Lane et al., 2008, Parente et al., 2008). Pancam multispectral visible/near-infrared (VNIR) images of Mars from Gusev crater are shown in Figures 2 and 3. Analysis of these Pancam data together with the mini-TES and Mössbauer data collected by MER enabled characterization of the minerals in the bright salty soils.

  Our work analyzing the clay minerals at Mawrth Vallis, Mars, has shown the presence of a large clay deposit that suggests long-standing water on Mars (Bishop et al., 2008). The stratigraphy of the phyllosilicates indicates a complex and interesting aqueous chemistry.

  During this year we also completed a study on alteration near Kilauea, Hawaii, where solfataric alteration of ash deposits is taking place and where orange-colored Fe-Ti-S-Si-bearing coatings are forming near vent sites on lava. We are in the process of preparing a manuscript for publication on this study.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• Application of U-Tube and Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensor to Characterize the Chemical and Physical Properties of a Deep Permafrost and Sub-Permafrost Environment at High Lake, Nunavut, Canada.

  Acquiring water samples for microbial and geochemical analyses from beneath hundreds of meters of frozen rock by conventional approaches are impossible because the water freezes in the tubing while transiting the permafrost and most down-hole pumps or bailers lack sufficient power to push up water that distance. Furthermore, to collect samples with representative trace gas concentrations the water needs to be kept under pressure as it rises to the surface. We utilized a new technology that combines a gas-lifting U-tube device with heat tracer tapes and a fiber-optic distributed temperature sensor (DTS) and successfully acquired a mixture of drilling water and fracture water from beneath 420 meters of permafrost. We also performed a thermal perturbation experiment and obtained a high resolution profile of the thermal conductivity of the permafrost zone, which in turn enabled us to invert the ambient geothermal profile to obtain this ground surface temperature history for the past 1000 years.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.2 5.3 7.1

• 2. Extraterrestrial Materials: Origin and Evolution of Organic Matter and Water in the Solar System

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1

• Advancing Techniques for in Situ Analysis of Complex Organics

  Our research in laser mass spectrometry is part of the overall program of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology to investigate the origin and evolution of organics in planetary systems. Laser mass spectrometry is a technique that is used to determine the chemical composition of sample materials such as rocks, dust, ice, meteorites in the lab. It also may be miniaturized so it could fit on a robotic spacecraft to an asteroid, a comet, or even Mars. On such a mission it could be used to discover any organic compounds preserved there, which in turn would give us insight into how Earth got its starting inventory of organic compounds that were necessary for life. The technique uses a high-intensity laser to “zap” atoms and molecules directly off the surface of the sample. The mass spectrometer instantly captures these particles and provides data that allow us to determine their molecular weights, and therefore their chemical composition. We are developing this technique to understand the mass spectra that would be obtained from a meteorite or an unknown rock sample encountered on a remote planetary mission.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 7.1

• Challenges for Coring Deep Permafrost on Earth and Mars: Drilling Project at High Lake, Nunavut, Canada

  Accessing liquid water environments and searching for life in the subsurface of Mars during future space missions will require drilling through hundreds of meters of permafrost and frozen rock. Many coring expeditions with the goal of acquiring uncontaminated cores for microbial studies have been performed on Earth, but none in deep permafrost, hard rock terranes. The goal of this project was to determine the requirements for obtaining permafrost core samples that are useful for microbial analyses and to acquire experience in coring through permafrost into the underlying liquid water, fractured rock system at High Lake, Nunavut, Canada.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 7.1

• Early Oceans on Mars

  We investigate the possible origin and fate of oceans early in Martian history.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1

• Microbial Pyrite Oxidation in Nature and the Lab: Sulfate Mineral Biosignature Investigation

  In the laboratory the project aims to culture bacteria that oxidize iron and sulfur under various conditions (a range of temperatures and different degrees of acidity). The goal is to develop criteria to distinguish minerals that formed as indirect result of bacterial activity from those that form with no biological association. It s anticipated that such distinctions may involve subtle, but distinctive differences in chemical and isotopic compositions, including variations in the ratios of the naturally occurring stable (non-radioactive) isotopes of iron, sulfur and oxygen. Analyses will be made of similar minerals, formed naturally in an acid mine drainage area of SW Spain, that may be an analog for processes that are believed to have happened on the surface of Mars four billion years ago.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 7.1

• Biological Potential of Mars

  We are exploring the geochemical environment of the martian surface and near-surface regions, in order to understand constraints on habitability by microorganisms. In particular, we are examining the chemical reactions that take (or took) place in the geological environment, and calculating the amounts of energy that are released that could by used by microbes to support metabolism. As chemical energy is the likely source of energy to support martian organisms, its tabulation provides a strong constraint on the amount of life that could have or can be supported there. We can compare the results to similar calculations in terrestrial environments, in order to compare martian and terrestrial habitability.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.1

• Design, Construction and Testing of a Cavity-Ring Down Spectrometer for Determination of the Concentration and Isotopic Composition of Methane

  The recent detection of CH₄ in the Martian atmosphere and observations suggesting that it varies both temporally and spatially argues for dynamic sources and sinks. CH₄ is a gaseous biomarker on Earth that is readily associated with methanogens when its H and C isotopic composition falls within a certain range. It is imperative that a portable instrument be developed that is capable of measuring the C and H isotopic composition of CH₄ at levels comparable to that on Mars with a precision similar to that of an isotope ratio mass spectrometer and that such an instrument be space flight capable. Such an instrument could guide a rover to a site on Mars where emission of biogenic gases is occurring and samples could be collected for Mars sample return.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.3 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2

• Habitable Planets

  This task is concerned with understanding planetary bodies as they form in habitable zones. The planet formation process begins with fragmentation of large molecular clouds into flattened protoplanetary disks. This disk is in many ways an astrochemical “primeval soup” in which cosmically abundant elements are assembled into increasingly complex hydrocarbons and mixed in the dust and gas envelope within the disk. Gravitational attraction among the myriad small bodies leads to planet formation. If the newly formed planet is a suitable distance from its star to support liquid water at the surface, it is in the so called “habitable zone.” The formation process and identification of such life-supporting bodies is the goal of this project.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 4.3

• Earthbound Microbial and Geological Robotic Based Observations for Mars

  This project explores robotic aids to astrobiology in the form of remotely controlled mobile agents with the ability to do human-like tasks in earth and mars like environments. Ethnographic studies are conducted to determine the microgeobiologist and geochemists abilities to use robotic interfaces to collect data and samples in liquid based and liquid-solid interface locations such as seeps, shallow water, surf-zone etc. Several robots are designed and constructed: Robots capable of achieving astrobiologist tasks (in situ testing, sample acquisition) Robots with high mobility to reach harsh environments (amphibious, acidic, saline) Astrobiologist-capable interfaces (long distance teleoperation, multi-modal)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 5.1 5.3

• Examination of the Microbial Diversity Found in Ice Cores (Brenchley)

  Our goal is to discover microorganisms surviving in cold or frozen environments and to use this information to understand how different microorganisms survive extreme habitats. Our recent results demonstrated that abundant populations, including many bacteria representing novel taxa, exist frozen in a Greenland glacier ice core for at least 120,000 years. Current isolates are being characterized as new species of ultra-small celled bacteria. This research provides insight into microbial survival in extreme environments that might exist elsewhere in the solar system.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1

• Modeling Early Earth Environments

  In this project, scientists from different disciplines model the conditions likely to have been found on the Early Earth, prior to 2.3 billion years ago. Specific areas of research include understanding the gases, many biologically produced, and mechanisms that controlled early Earth’s surface temperature, the nature of hazes that shielded the planetary surface from UV and may be responsible for signatures in sulfur isotopes that were left in the rock record, the chemical nature of the Earth’s environment during and after a planet-wide glaciation (a “Snowball event”), the evolution of planetary atmospheres over time due to loss of atmosphere to space, and the use of iron isotopes as a tracer of the oxidative state of the Earth’s ocean over time.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.2

• Environmental Genomics Reveals a Single Species Ecosystem Deep Within the Earth.

  The first metagenome sequence from a deep subsurface environment of South Africa has not only described the genetic composition of a new genera/species of sulfate reducing bacteria, Desulforudis Audaxviator, but has also revealed that it is by far the most dominant and most likely the sole resident of its environment. A single species ecosystem has never been reported before and runs counter to the prevalent concept that microorganisms live and evolve as communities of mixed species. Whether this bacterial species occurs in other deep subsurface environments around the world or whether other deep subsurface environments are also occupied by single species remains to be determined.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.2

• Planetary Habitability

  In this research project, members of the VPL team explore different aspects of planetary habitability, and the detectability of habitability and life, using a combination of theoretical models, astronomical observations and Earth-based field work.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.2

• Breakdown of Methane Due to Electric Discharge: A Laboratory Investigation With Relevance to Mars

  Dust-storm induced electric discharge is one proposed mechanism for the destruction of methane in the martian atmosphere. Theoretical modeling suggests that this mechanism is an efficient way to remove methane. In order to test these mechanisms laboratory facilities are developed. One facility is built to study on static discharge processes in a dust-free atmosphere, the second facility is a dust circulation chamber in which dusts storms can be initiated and electrification in dust storms can be studied. Changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere are measured by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Preliminary results show that CO2 is ionized through discharge. Further experiments are under way.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• Evolution of the Interior and Its Consequences for Water on Mars

  The interior evolution of Mars influences the evolution of its atmosphere through volcanic outgassing. The atmosphere in turns influences the stability of liquid water on or near the surface and the radiation environment on the surface — two key aspects of planetary habitability,

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1

• Iron, the Oxygen Transition, UV Shielding, and Photosynthesis

  Our combined field and lab work has shown that iron oxide bearing minerals could be important in protecting photosynthetic organisms from UV radiation and that nanophase ferric oxyhydroxides in a clay matrix are particularly effective. We have collected several iron-rich samples from hot springs where microbes thrive and are completing characterizing the minerals present and their spectral properties. We are also identifying iron oxides and clay minerals on Mars in order to determine possible environments where microbes could have been protected from solar radiation.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• Planetary-Scale Transition From Abiotic to Biotic Nitrogen Cycle

  Nitrogen is an essential element for life. Understanding the planetary nitrogen cycle is critical to understanding the origin and evolution of life. The earth’s atmosphere is full of nitrogen gas (N2). However, this large pool of nitrogen is unavailable to most of the life on earth except a few microbes capable of “fixing” nitrogen into a form that can be used by other organisms (e.g., NH3, NH4+, NOx, organic-N). Without fixed nitrogen life would not have originated on earth and would most likely not occur on any other planet. The Atacama Desert in Chile is an enigma in that it contains vast nitrate (a type of fixed nitrogen) deposits. Elsewhere on earth, nitrate is either denitrified (transformed into N2 and released back into the atmosphere) through the activity of microorganisms, or is dissolved and leached from the system. Although the Atacama is the driest desert in the world we have shown that lack of water alone cannot account for the lack of nitrogen cycling in this desert. Preliminary data suggest that it may be due to the high oxidation level of the soil in combination with a lack of organic material in the soil.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.2 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1

• High Lake Gossan Deposit: An Arctic Analogue for Ancient Martian Surficial Processes?

  The massive sulfide deposit at High Lake is covered by a ~1 meter thick layer of Fe oxides and sulfate minerals. The minerals have formed within the last 8,000 years in the active zone of the permafrost and as such the site provides a good analog to those terranes on Mars that contain similar mineral assemblages, e.g. Terra Meridiana, and may have formed under similar, acidic conditions. The minerals present in the High Lake gossan were characterized by XRD, SEM and Mössbauer.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1

• 6. Molecular and Isotopic Biosignatures

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Recognition of Theoretical Environments on Mars

  Our goal is to develop remotely sensed signatures that provide guideposts to analyzing remotely sensed data from Mars to explore for habitable environments. We are working with the biologically diverse, iron-rich environments of Rio Tinto and their mineral deposits to develop strategies for interpreting data from Mars.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 7.1

• Prebiotic Organics From Space

  This project has three components, all aimed to better our understanding of the connection between chemistry in space and the origin of life on Earth and possibly other worlds. Our approach is to trace the formation and evolution of compounds in space, with particular emphasis on identifying those that are interesting from a prebiotic perspective, and understand their possible roles in the origin of life on habitable worlds. We do this by first measuring the spectra and chemistry of materials under simulated space conditions in the laboratory. We then use these results to interpret astronomical observations made with ground-based and orbiting telescopes. We also carry out experiments on simulated extraterrestrial materials to analyze extraterrestrial samples returned by NASA missions or that fall to Earth in as meteorites.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.4 4.3 7.1 7.2

• Isotopic Fingerprints of Past Life and Surface Conditions on Mars

  The isotopic composition of calcium is being investigated as a possible indicator the presence of past life on Mars. The research seeks to separate biological from non-biological effects, estimate the magnitude of the effects, and investigate terrestrial environments that may be analogues of early Martian surface environments. Unexpected results have led to evidence concerning the earliest stages of the formation of Mars.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 7.1

• 7. Astrobiotechnology

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 5.3 6.2 7.1

• Isotopic Signatures of Methane and Higher Hydrocarbon Gases From Precambrian Shield Sites: A Model for Abiogenic Polymerization of Hydrocarbons

  Methane and higher hydrocarbon gases in ancient rocks on Earth originate from both biogenic and abiogenic processes. The measured carbon isotopic compositions of these natural gases are consistent with formation of polymerization of increasing long hydrocarbon chains starting with methane. Integration of carbon isotopic compositions with concentration data is needed to delineate the origin of hydrocarbon gases.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Laboratory Microbial Simulations: Astrobiological Signatures

  We aim to use laboratory and field environments to investigate microorganisms and their biogeochemical signatures. We have investigated methanotrophic seeps and deeply-buried marine environments, as well as used laboratory pure-cultures to further our understanding of diverse metabolisms.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 7.1

• Mars Forward Contamination Studies Utilizing a Mars Environmental Simulation Chamber

  A variety of microorganisms have been selected for experimental culturing in a Mars environmental simulation chamber. The test organisms are adapted on Earth to desiccation resistance and cold tolerance so they are suitable for exposure to simulated surface conditions on Mars. The test chamber is capable of reproducing temperatures, solar radiation, and atmospheric conditions inferred for Mars. Results from these tests will provide critical information for the design and engineering of sampling and caching equipment on a future mission to sample rocks and sediments on Mars and return those samples to Earth for laboratory study.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.2 3.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1

• The High Lakes Project (HLP)

  The High Lakes Project is a multi-disciplinary astrobiological investigation studying high-altitude lakes between 4,200 m and 5,916 m elevation in the Central Andes of Bolivia and Chile. Its primary objective is to understand the impact of increased environmental stress on lake habitats and their evolution during rapid climate change as an analogy to early Mars. Their unique geophysical environment and mostly uncharted ecosystems have added new objectives to the project, including the assessment of the impact of low ozone/high solar irradiance in non-polar aquatic environments, the documentation of poorly known ecosystems, and the quantification of the impact of climate change on lake environment and ecosystem.
  Data from 2003 to 2007 show that solar irradiance is 165% that of sea level with instantaneous UV-B flux reaching 17W/m2. Short UV wavelengths (260-270 nm) were recorded and peaked at 14.6 mW/m2. High solar irradiance occurs in an atmosphere permanently depleted in ozone falling below ozone hole definition for 33-36 days and between 30-35% depletion the rest of the year. The impact of strong UV-B and UV erythemally-weighted daily dose on life is compounded by broad daily temperature variations with sudden and sharp fluctuations. Lake habitat chemistry is highly dynamical with notable changes in yearly ion concentrations and pH resulting from low and variable yearly precipitation. The year-round combination of environmental variables define these lakes as end-members. In such an environment, they host surprisingly abundant and diverse ecosystems including a significant fraction of previously undescribed species of zooplankton, cyanobacterial, and bacterial populations.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 4.1 4.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1

• Training for Oxygen: Peroxy in Rocks, Early Life and the Evolution of the Atmosphere

  We try to find answers to a range of deep questions about the early Earth and about the origin and early evolution of life. How did the surface of planet Earth become slowly but inextricably oxidized during the first 2 billion years? We present evidence that it was not through the early introduction of oxygenic photosynthesis but through a purely abiotic process, driven by the tectonic forces of the early Earth and the weathering cycle. Only much later in Earth’s history, about 2.4 billion years ago, did photosynthesis kick in, boosting the oxygen level in the atmosphere to the levels that we enjoy now. If this is so, other Earth-like planets around other stars can be expected to undergo the same evolution from an early reduced state to an oxidized state.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1 4.1 7.2

• Carbonate Lithologies on Devon Island, Canada

  During the 2007 field season at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) at Haughton Crater on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, we collected pale grey impactites (rocks affected by the meteor impact) at the Lake Trinity and Gemini Hills sites. These impactites contain clasts, pieces of the target rocks hit by the meteor. This work is relevant to astrobiology in that it could lead to a greater understanding of impacts with carbonate targets, and contribute to the debate on ALH 84001, the famous Martian meteorite.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.3

• Microbial Communities in Subpermafrost Saline Fracture Water at the Lupin Au Mine, Nunavut, Canada

  As scientists prepare to search for life in the subsurface of Mars, it is increasingly clear that we have little experience characterizing microbial life in permafrost environments on Earth. Lupin gold mine in Nunavut Territory Canada provides scientists with an opportunity to collect samples of ground water beneath 500 meters of permafrost. These subpermafrost water samples contain extant microbial communities that are dominated by sulfate-reducing bacteria. It remains to be determined how and when this microbial community became established.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 7.1

• Radiolytic Oxidation of Sulfide Minerals as a Source of Sulfate and Hydrogen to Sustain Microbial Metabolism

  Microbial ecosystems have been discovered in crustal environments up to 2.8 kilometers below the surface of Earth. Life in this extreme environment apapears to be sustained by high concentrations of dissolved sulfate and hydrogen. Splitting of water molecules by radiation from uranium can produce oxidation gradients that result in simple ionic products usable for maintenance and growth of microbial organisms. A set of experiments exposing water and common sulfide minerals to radiation in a laboratory reactor were conducted to test this hypothesis.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.3 4.1 5.1 5.3 6.2

• Molecular Signatures of Life on the Edge (DDF Project)

  We have investigated the Dead Sea, as a possible analog of early Mars environments — slightly acidic and highly saline. We have used metagenomics, lipid analysis, and amino acid analysis.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 7.1

• Saline Lakes and Gypsum Dunes in the Rio Grande Rift System as Analogues for Sulfate Deposits on Mars

  Sulfates are a critical component of rocks and regolith exposed at or near the surface of Mars. We are pursuing, therefore, a latitudinal study of salt basins developed along the Rio Grande rift in North America as a terrestrial analog for sulfate deposition in down-dropped basins and craters on Mars. This project addresses local and regional influences of volcanism on sulfur cycling, biogeochemical roles of organism in sulfate-dominated playa lakes, and climatic controls on formation of gypsum dunes.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.3 7.1

• Origin and Evolution of Organics

  The central goal of the Blake group effort in the NASA GSFC Astrobiology node (Origin and Evolution of Organics in Planetary Systems (Mike Mumma, P.I.) is to determine whether complex organics such as those seen in meteorites are detectable in the circumstellar accretion disks that encircle young stars and in the comae of comets. Our program has both observational and laboratory components. We use state-of-the-art telescopes from microwave to optical frequencies, and we have developed novel high frequency and temporal resolution instruments that seek to utilize the unique properties of the terahertz (THz) modes of complex organics. Future observations of such modes with the Herschel and SOFIA observatories promise to revolution our understanding of prebiotic chemistry in both our own and other solar systems.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1

• Stability of Methane Hydrates in the Presence of High Salinity Brines on Mars

  Laboratory experiments were used to monitor the influence of increasing salinity on the stability of ices composed of water, methane, and carbon dioxide. New data show that these types of hydrates decease in stability as salinity increases, suggesting that lateral or vertical migration of brines in the subsurface of Mars could cause release of methane and carbon dioxide to surface sediments and the atmosphere. These experimental results are important for interpreting reports of methane in the Martian atmosphere.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 7.1 7.2

• The Diversity of the Original Prebiotic Soup: Re-Analyzing the Original Miller-Urey Spark Discharge Experiments

  Recently obtained samples from some of the original Stanley Miller spark discharge experiments have been reanalyzed using High Pressure Liquid Chromatography-Flame Detection and Liquid Chromatography-Flame Detection/Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry in order to identify lesser constituents that would have been undetectable by analytical techniques 50 years ago. Results show the presence of several isoforms of aminobutyric acid, as well as several serine species, isomers of threonine, isovaline, valine, phenylalanine, ornithine, adipic acid, ethanolamine and other methylated and hydroxylated amino acids. Diversity and yield increased in experiments utilizing an aspirating device to increase the gas flow rates; this could be applied as a simulation of prebiotic chemistry during a volcanic eruption. The variety of products formed in these experiments is significantly greater than previously published and mimic the assortment of compounds detected in Murchison and CM meteorites.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.1 3.2 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 6.2 7.1 7.2

• Research Activities in the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory

  A little over 4.5 billion years ago, our solar system was a disk of gas and dust, newly collapsed from a molecular cloud, surrounding a young and growing protostar. Today most of the gas and dust is in the spectacularly diverse planets and satellites of our solar system, and in the Sun. How did the present state of the planetary system come to be from such undistinguished beginnings? The telling of that story is an exercise in forensic science. The “crime” occurred a long time ago and the “evidence” has been tampered with, as most planets and satellites display a rich variety of geological evolution over solar system history.

  Fortunately, not all material has been heavily processed. Comets and asteroids represent largely unprocessed material remnant from the early solar system and they a represented on Earth by meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). Furthermore, telescopic studies of the birth places of other solar systems allow researchers to simulate those environments in the laboratory so that we may characterize the organic material produced.

  We are a laboratory dedicated to the study of organic compounds derived from Stardust and future sample return missions, meteorites, lab simulations of Mars, interstellar, proto-planetary, and cometary ices and grains, and instrument development. Like forensic crime shows, the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory employs commercial analytical instruments. However, ours are configured and optimized for small organics of astrobiological interest instead of blood, clothing, etc.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 7.1

• Understanding the Microbial Ecology of Geologically-Based Chemolithoautotrophic Communities

  The objective of this project is to investigate the potential for geologic systems to support the production of biomass by chemosynthetic microorganisms that use inorganic chemical reactions rather than sunlight as a source of metabolic energy. The research focuses on hydrothermal and subsurface environments, where reaction of water with rocks produces sources of chemical energy like those that might have occurred on the early Earth, or that might occur now on other planetary bodies like Mars and Europa. Numerical geochemical models of fluid-rock interaction have been developed to understand the types and amounts of chemical energy that are generated in modern geologic environments, and to explore how these chemical energy sources may have differed under the different conditions present on the early Earth or in extraterrestrial environments.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1

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  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.1

• FMARS Long Duration Mission: A Simulation of Manned Mars Exploration in an Analogue Environment, Devon Island, Canada

  Seven crewmembers spent four months at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) simulating a Mars surface exploration mission on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic. We carried out over twenty research projects in biology, geology, mission operations and human factors.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.3

• Ice Ages on Mars

  The subsurface ice reservoirs of Mars are being further characterized and incorporated into climate models.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• Ice at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site

  Models are used to simulate the history of ice at site where the Phoenix Lander touched down on Mars. This ice was emplaced during a very recent period of Mars history. The same models are also used to quantify the deposition of ice in laboratory simulations.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• Icelandic Subglacial Lakes

  This project is describing the microbial community inhabiting the water column of a subglacial volcanic lake in Iceland. These systems are potential analogs for habitats on ice-covered worlds such as the outer planet satellites, and Mars.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 5.3 6.2

• Sleeping Through the Arctic Martian Sol

  The Martian day is 24.6 hours long, and during the surface exploration phase, a Mars crew would have to operate on Martian time (unless the landing site is in a polar region). This slightly longer day has psychological, physiological, and operational repercussions. During the FMARS 2007 Long Duration Mission, all seven crewmembers operated on Mars time for 37 days, tracked changes in sleep quality and disruption using CASPER (Cardiac Adapted Sleep Parameter Electrocardiogram Recorder), and measured reaction speed and decision-making using cognitive tests.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• TES Study of Intracrater Low Albedo Deposits, Amazonis Planitia, Mars

  We studied low albedo deposits in the floors of craters within the Amazonis Planitia region using data from orbiters of Mars to determine how these deposits were formed. These deposits are dominated by mafic minerals (olivine, pyroxene) with very low clay contents, which suggests that these deposits had limited contact with water.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1

• Water on Mars

  We use orbital geochemistry and mineralogy, and meteorite studies, to characterize the role of water in the evolution of the Martian crust. We focus on water chemistry and abundance during aqueous alteration of crustal materials.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1