Using Organic Contaminants to Constrain the Terrestrial Journey of the Martian Meteorite Lafayette.

ABSTRACT: A key part of the search for extraterrestrial life is the detection of organic molecules since these molecules form the basis of all living things on Earth. Instrument suites such as SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) onboard the NASA Perseverance rover and the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer onboard the future ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover are designed to detect organic molecules at the martian surface. However, size, mass, and power limitations mean that these instrument suites cannot yet match the instrumental capabilities available in Earth-based laboratories. Until Mars Sample Return, the only martian samples available for study on Earth are martian meteorites. This is a collection of largely basaltic igneous rocks that ha

SUBMITTER: O'Brien AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9618387 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature