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Searching for Life on Earth to Find Life on Mars

Searching for Life on Earth to Find Life on Mars

Sep 24, 2019
Tags: Mars , Field Expeditions , Astrobiology
University Antofagasta students

(Above: Day 9 Planetary Protection Protocols demonstration and bioburden mitigation for University of Antofagasta students.)

The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest places on Earth, receiving less than 2mm of rainfall per year. Its climate is one of the reasons the Atacama is similar to Mars, which makes it an ideal location to test tools and equipment for future Mars missions.

SETI Institute astrobiologist Rosalba Bonaccorsi recently traveled to the Atacama with a team of researchers to test an instrument that might eventually be used to detect life on Mars. Since 2016, the Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) team has been designing and testing tools and techniques for future planetary exploration in the Atacama. ARADS is preparing for future robotic astrobiology drilling missions to Mars.

Rosalba has been using a luminometer to measure a biological compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is present in all plants, animals, and microbial cells. The ATP Luminometry assay is a quick assay used to monitor contamination from humans working with other life-detection instruments, as well as to certify achieved cleanliness after microbial reduction and sterilization practices. The trial is a part of a 3-week simulated mission to test life-detection instruments for use on an autonomous rover-mounted robotic drill.

In addition to testing the equipment, Rosalba gave a demonstration of bioburden monitoring to prevent contamination of drill and sampling device to a group of students from the University of Antofagasta. The students observed the NASA trial in the Mars-like playa located near the Yungay station.

The ARADS project is led by Brian Glass (NASA Ames Research Center) and involves many other team members. Scientists and engineers from the SETI Institute including Rosalba Bonaccorsi, Kim Warren Rhodes (ecologist), Kathryn Bywaters (microbiologist), and Thomas Stucky (drill engineer).

DAY 10

working at a desk outdoors with a great view
Working in the playa can be very intense: hot at noon, chilly and windy in the early evening and freezing cold at night. Yet this is the best working setting and the best ever office for the ARADS team.

DAY 11

Last Core
Last Core: The ARADS rover's drill retrieved sediment cores from five boreholes in the playa during the five days of its Mars mission simulation. The last core was retrieved from a depth of 73 cm drilled into the silty-clay layer of the playa. The playa is the top layer of a stack sedimentary bed formed during an ancient past when the Atacama Desert was wetter and rainier. This contrasts with the present-day climate for this part of the desert where extremely arid conditions prevail and as little as 2 mm of rain is delivered annually.
Stuck in the playa waiting for the last core
Stuck in the playa: Sometimes, drilling can be hard and we need to wait for hours in the playa to retrieve the sediment that will be fed to the life-detection instruments onboard the rover.

DAY 12

Resting at Sunset
Testing at sunset: The ARADS rover team preparing for testing the rover's wheels. As the rover needs to get ready to enable exploration of all types of Mars-like terrains, the rover team will work hard to test the rover motion across a few km traverse this week. This is the last task for the ARADS 4 mission.
Camp Sunset
Sunset at camp: One precious moment here at the camp, with our orange-colored tents lit by the golden light at sunset.

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