Science Investigation

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Science Investigation

• Life in the Atacama 2004Science Technology
  Workshop
• Nathalie A. CabrolNASA Ames

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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

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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 ScienceTest 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

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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.

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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?

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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

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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 RSTs 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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Year 01 Habitats

• 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

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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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Year 02 Science Campaign Introduction

• 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