VdG:ISME - July Vasco da Gama In Situ Mars Explorer

VdG:ISME - July Scientific Goals Follow the Carbon –Methane, Other Organics –Possible association with water Link carbon and geological features to possible extant and extinct life

VdG:ISME - July Roadmap Precursor Mission & Assumptions Landing site discussion –Scientific and Technical Justifications Rover concept Payload package –Bioscience and Geochemical Science Summary

VdG:ISME - July Precursor mission Spaced-based remote sensing (in development) –Avoids terrestrial atmospheric extinction –Spatially resolved measurements of atmospheric CH 4 and photochemical products on Mars (Organics Origin Observatory) Fundamental assumption and problem definition –Precursor space-based mission has spatially resolved methane gradients, focusing the search for carbon reservoirs in potential VdG:ISME landing sites

VdG:ISME - July Landing Sites Equatorial Meridiani –Relatively near Opportunity Hale Crater Gullies –35 o S, 324 o E

VdG:ISME - July Landing Sites

VdG:ISME - July Scientific Justification: Meridiani Atmospheric CH 4 localization assumed –Interesting even if this is not assumed Nature of hydrogen detection? Relatively warm Surface sulfates, hematite co-localized –Carbonates below these? Aqueous precipitates can preserve micro-fossils (Squyres 2004, Int’l School for Astrobiology)

VdG:ISME - July Hale Crater Gullies Again, assumed CH 4 (although very tentative “current-day” detections indicate equatorial presence) Possible water signatures (possible carbonates) Natural surface excavation Possible hydrothermal alteration

VdG:ISME - July Gullies Malin and Edgett 2000

VdG:ISME - July Technical Justification-Landing Landing error ellipse shrunk to 5km x 10km –Practical, uncomplicated, low-mass methods to increase accuracy –Navigation telemetry from existing positions to increase transverse accuracy –Closed-loop navigation system to respond to sensed variations in atmospheric density (Squyres 2004, personal communication)

VdG:ISME - July Hale Landing Feasible –Smaller error ellipse –Increased rover range Edgett et al. 2003

VdG:ISME - July The Rovers Science payloads identical Both have slope-climbing abilities Powered by RTGs –Eliminates low-latitude and nighttime operations as a hazard –Heavier spacecraft, but increases operational parameters Digging scoop –depth 1m in regolith

VdG:ISME - July Instrumentation Main body –Pancam copy, Mini mid IR TES (MMIRTES) –Raman analysis and multi-range sensing package (up to 100m) –GCMS rock-crushing package –Circular Dichroism Filter Set Spectrometer –96 well culture plates, geared towards autotrophic methanogens

VdG:ISME - July Instrumentation Manipulator arm –Microscope with fluorescence capabilities –Raman Capabilities (via fibre optics) –Mössbauer –APXS with micron sized mapping –Sample manipulation

VdG:ISME - July Raman Ellery & Wynn-Williams 2003 Complements MMIRTES Organics Minerals

VdG:ISME - July GCMS NAP Signs of Life, Moldowan

VdG:ISME - July DAPI, (gradual sonication) 500uL media: Combinations of organic rich, organic poor, nitrates, and phosphates H 2 /CO 2 atmosphere shielded from martian surface radiation Moveable 100x microscope Light source (for microscopy) Tiny Mars rock (~1mm)

VdG:ISME - July Summary Precursor methane localization Twin Rovers –Meridiani & Hale Crater gullies Rovers –Climbing capabilities –Enhanced power –Enhanced instrument package (Raman, GCMS, Fluorescence) Dual biological and geological payload