COSPAR Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF).

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF) has been developed by a COSPAR appointed Working Group. The objective of the sample safety assessment would be to evaluate whether samples returned from Mars could be harmful for Earth's systems (e.g., environment, biosphere, geochemical cycles). During the Working Group's deliberations, it became clear that a comprehensive assessment to predict the effects of introducing life in new environments or ecologies is difficult and practically impossible, even for terrestrial life and certainly more so for unknown extraterrestrial life. To manage expectations, the scope of the SSAF was adjusted to evaluate only whether the presence of martian life can be excluded in samples returned from Mars. If the presence of martian life cannot be excluded, a Hold & Critical Review must be established to evaluate the risk management measures and decide on the next steps. The SSAF starts from a positive hypothesis (there is martian life in the samples), which is complementary to the null-hypothesis (there is no martian life in the samples) typically used for science. Testing the positive hypothesis includes four elements: (1) Bayesian statistics, (2) subsampling strategy, (3) test sequence, and (4) decision criteria. The test sequence capability covers self-replicating and non-self-replicating biology and biologically active molecules. Most of the investigations associated with the SSAF would need to be carried out within biological containment. The SSAF is described in sufficient detail to support planning activities for a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) and for preparing science announcements, while at the same time acknowledging that further work is required before a detailed Sample Safety Assessment Protocol (SSAP) can be developed. The three major open issues to be addressed to optimize and implement the SSAF are (1) setting a value for the level of assurance to effectively exclude the presence of martian life in the samples, (2) carrying out an analogue test program, and (3) acquiring relevant contamination knowledge from all Mars Sample Return (MSR) flight and ground elements. Although the SSAF was developed specifically for assessing samples from Mars in the context of the currently planned NASA-ESA MSR Campaign, this framework and the basic safety approach are applicable to any other Mars sample return mission concept, with minor adjustments in the execution part related to the specific nature of the samples to be returned. The SSAF is also considered a sound basis for other COSPAR Planetary Protection Category V, restricted Earth return missions beyond Mars. It is anticipated that the SSAF will be subject to future review by the various MSR stakeholders

The characterisation of the organic material in Ontong Java Plateau tuff as an analogue for the search for fossil life on Earth and Mars

PhD ThesisDistinctive microtubules in glassy volcaniclastic shards can be observed within tuff from the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP_13), which have been suggested to be putative ichnofossils and could serve as analogues for the types of samples that may be encountered on Mars. Argon cluster ion beam etching and ultraviolet/ozone cleaning were evaluated as methods for decontaminating geological samples prior to analysis. Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were conducted on a sample of OJP_13 tuff. The comparative efficiency of conventional pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS) and pyGC/MS with tetramethylammonium hydroxide, also called thermal hydrolysis and methylation-GC/MS (THM-GC/MS) to detect and identify the organic material in OJP_13 samples was assessed. Measurements of the carbon and nitrogen chemistry in OJP_13 were made using XPS, and this was compared to the data that was obtained by THMGC/MS. The XPS analysis demonstrated that organic material was concentrated in the perimeter of the glass shards. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging demonstrated that the organic material was associated with micro-fractures in the surrounding matrix and in the devitrified glass textures in the perimeter of the shard. The analysis was conducted on OJP samples from different strata and basalts from other regions, which did not contain the tubular features. This demonstrated that nitrogenous organic material was not specific to the OJP_13 sample that contained the microtubules but appeared to occur throughout the OJP tuff. THM-GC/MS and XPS analyses were conducted on artificially decomposed plant biopolymers. The composition of the organic material in OJP tuff was similar to that of decomposed chitin. It was proposed that a component of the organic material in OJP could be the remnants of a chitinous organism. The presence of chitin implied that fungi could have produced the microtubular textures. Additionally, during this investigation, it was observed that carbonaceous films on the surfaces of minerals are thermally stable and are therefore undetectable by py-GC/MS. These films may be responsible for the non-biological synthesis of complex organic compoundsThe Leverhulme Trade Charities Trus

GeoRaman 2020. 14th International GeoRaman conferences. Book of Abstracts

112 p.The main aim of this congress is to provide a scientific forum to present and promote the use of analytical techniques in the field of Geosciences. This series of conferences has a tradition since 1986, starting in Paris, and has since then been held in multiple cities in Europe, USA and Australia. The GeoRaman 2020 conference scope covers all scientific aspects where Raman spectroscopy and geology meet. GeoRaman has served as an important meeting point for scientists from different area of knowledge, to present their studies, participate in scientist discussions and find collaborative partners. Starting this year, several space agencies are going to launch missions to Mars in which for the first time Raman spectroscopy is going to be present (Perseverance and Rosalind Franklin rovers)

GeoRaman 2020. 14th International GeoRaman conferences. Book of Abstracts

112 p.The main aim of this congress is to provide a scientific forum to present and promote the use of analytical techniques in the field of Geosciences. This series of conferences has a tradition since 1986, starting in Paris, and has since then been held in multiple cities in Europe, USA and Australia. The GeoRaman 2020 conference scope covers all scientific aspects where Raman spectroscopy and geology meet. GeoRaman has served as an important meeting point for scientists from different area of knowledge, to present their studies, participate in scientist discussions and find collaborative partners. Starting this year, several space agencies are going to launch missions to Mars in which for the first time Raman spectroscopy is going to be present (Perseverance and Rosalind Franklin rovers)

COSPAR Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF)

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF) has been developed by a COSPAR appointed Working Group. The objective of the sample safety assessment would be to evaluate whether samples returned from Mars could be harmful for Earth's systems (e.g., environment, biosphere, geochemical cycles). During the Working Group's deliberations, it became clear that a comprehensive assessment to predict the effects of introducing life in new environments or ecologies is difficult and practically impossible, even for terrestrial life and certainly more so for unknown extraterrestrial life. To manage expectations, the scope of the SSAF was adjusted to evaluate only whether the presence of martian life can be excluded in samples returned from Mars. If the presence of martian life cannot be excluded, a Hold & Critical Review must be established to evaluate the risk management measures and decide on the next steps. The SSAF starts from a positive hypothesis (there is martian life in the samples), which is complementary to the null-hypothesis (there is no martian life in the samples) typically used for science. Testing the positive hypothesis includes four elements: (1) Bayesian statistics, (2) subsampling strategy, (3) test sequence, and (4) decision criteria. The test sequence capability covers self-replicating and non-self-replicating biology and biologically active molecules. Most of the investigations associated with the SSAF would need to be carried out within biological containment. The SSAF is described in sufficient detail to support planning activities for a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) and for preparing science announcements, while at the same time acknowledging that further work is required before a detailed Sample Safety Assessment Protocol (SSAP) can be developed. The three major open issues to be addressed to optimize and implement the SSAF are (1) setting a value for the level of assurance to effectively exclude the presence of martian life in the samples, (2) carrying out an analogue test program, and (3) acquiring relevant contamination knowledge from all Mars Sample Return (MSR) flight and ground elements. Although the SSAF was developed specifically for assessing samples from Mars in the context of the currently planned NASA-ESA MSR Campaign, this framework and the basic safety approach are applicable to any other Mars sample return mission concept, with minor adjustments in the execution part related to the specific nature of the samples to be returned. The SSAF is also considered a sound basis for other COSPAR Planetary Protection Category V, restricted Earth return missions beyond Mars. It is anticipated that the SSAF will be subject to future review by the various MSR stakeholders

REASSESSING THE BIOGENICITY OF PUTATIVE MICROFOSSILS IN THE 3.5 BILLION YEAR OLD APEX CHERT

Scientists generally agree that life first arose on Earth over 3.5 Ga years ago, but the search for evidence of ancient life is a complex and difficult task due to the scarcity of relatively unaltered Archean rocks. The Pilbara craton contains some of the oldest, best exposed, relatively low-metamorphic grade Archean rocks and has therefore been a target of a variety of studies of ancient life. The Apex chert is a unit that has been extensively studied with a variety of analytical techniques primarily because it contains microstructures that were originally described as the oldest microbial fossils nearly 30 years ago. However, researchers have argued over the origin and composition of these microstructures and the debate continues today. The goal of this dissertation is to utilize a suite of samples collected from the Apex chert in 2006 in order to better understand the possible origin and composition of the microstructures, potential evidence for Archean life preserved in the rock record, and to highlight methodological issues that can affect the ability to accurately identify evidence for ancient life. The introduction in Chapter 1 discusses issues with identifying signs of Archean life, introduces Raman spectroscopy, includes a brief introduction of the Apex chert to provide historical and geologic context and outlines the content of this dissertation. Chapter 2 is a literature review of the complex formational and alteration history of the Apex chert to provide geologic context. Chapter 3 documents the identification of hematite pseudofossils in the new samples and shows that carbonaceous material is present in the chert matrix instead of being associated with the microstructures as previously believed. Data quality issues can lead to the misinterpretation of Raman spectroscopic data and the use of multiple types of data collection techniques and analyses that can aid in the identification of materials in geological datasets are presented. Chapter 4 includes an investigation of the structure and context of the previously identified matrix carbonaceous material. Petrographic and Raman spectroscopic data showed the presence of multiple generations of carbon in the Apex chert which raises questions about the degree of thermal alteration of the Apex chert and illustrates the importance of paragenetic context when studying evidence for ancient life such as carbonaceous material or putative microfossils. Chapter 5 illustrates how advanced Raman imaging data collection techniques can be affected by data quality issues such as autofluorescence and can lead to misidentification of materials. In order to address this problem, a software-based analytical method was developed to identify the spatial distribution of autofluorescence and a statistical method was developed to evaluate the quality of a post-acquisition data processing technique that is commonly used to address autofluorescence issues in Raman imaging datasets

Forty-first Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

Special sessions were: A New Moon: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Results ; Water in the Solar System: Incorporation into Primitive Bodies and Evolution ; A New Moon: LCROSS, Chandrayaan, and Chang-E-1 ; Water in the Solar System: Moon ; A New Moon: Spectral Constraints on Lunar Crustal Composition ; Characterizing Near-Earth Objects ; A New Moon: Lunar Volcanism and Impact. This CD-ROM contains the contents, program, abstracts, and author indexes for the 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.by Lunar and Planetary Institute, NASA Johnson Space Centerconference co-chairs, Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute [and] Eileen Stansbery, NASA Johnson Space Center.PARTIAL CONTENTS: Roughness and Radar Polarimetry of Lunar Polar Craters: Testing for Ice Deposits / B.J. Thomson, P.D. Spudis, D.B.J. Bussey, L. Carter, R.L. Kirk, C. Neish, G. Patterson, R.K. Raney, H. Winters, and the Mini-RF Team--Formation of Jupiter's Atmosphere from a Supernova-Contaminated Molecular Cloud / H.B. Throop--Ancient Lunar Dynamo: Absence of Evidence is Not the Evidence of Absence / S.M. Tikoo, B.P. Weiss, J. Buz, I. Garrick-Bethell, T.L. Grove, and J. Gattaccaea--Dark Dunes in Ka'u Desert (Hawaii) as Terrestrial Analogs to Dark Dunes on Mars / D. Tirsch, R.A. Craddock, and R. Jaumann--Mars Ice Condensation and Density Orbiter / T.N. Titus, T. Prettyman, A. Brown, T.I. Michaels, and A. Colaprete--The Atacama Desert Cave Shredder: A Case for Conduction Thermodynamics / T.N. Titus, J.J. Wynne, D. Ruby, and N. Cabrol

Abstracts of the 1st GeoDays, 14th–17th March 2023, Helsinki, Finland

Non peer reviewe

Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop : February 27–28 and March 1, 2017, Washington, DC

This workshop is meant to provide NASA’s Planetary Science Division with a very long-range vision of what planetary science may look like in the future.Organizer, Lunar and Planetary Institute ; Conveners, James Green, NASA Planetary Science Division, Doris Daou, NASA Planetary Science Division ; Science Organizing Committee, Stephen Mackwell, Universities Space Research Association [and 14 others]PARTIAL CONTENTS: Exploration Missions to the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud--Future Mercury Exploration: Unique Science Opportunities from Our Solar System’s Innermost Planet--A Vision for Ice Giant Exploration--BAOBAB (Big and Outrageously Bold Asteroid Belt) Project--Asteroid Studies: A 35-Year Forecast--Sampling the Solar System: The Next Level of Understanding--A Ground Truth-Based Approach to Future Solar System Origins Research--Isotope Geochemistry for Comparative Planetology of Exoplanets--The Moon as a Laboratory for Biological Contamination Research--“Be Careful What You Wish For:” The Scientific, Practical, and Cultural Implications of Discovering Life in Our Solar System--The Importance of Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) Analysis and Imaging to the Search for Life on the Ocean Worlds--Follow the (Outer Solar System) Water: Program Options to Explore Ocean Worlds--Analogies Among Current and Future Life Detection Missions and the Pharmaceutical/ Biomedical Industries--On Neuromorphic Architectures for Efficient, Robust, and Adaptable Autonomy in Life Detection and Other Deep Space Missions

Mars 2001

The purpose of the meeting was to share results from recent missions, to share plans for the 2001 mission, and to come to an agreement on a landing site for this mission.Lunar and Planetary Institute, Mars Program Office, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administrationedited by John Marshall and Cathy Weitz.PARTIAL CONTENTS: The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) Instrument for the Mars 2001 Orbiter / P.R. Christensen, B.M. Jakosky, H.H. Kieffer, M.C. Malin, H.Y. McSween Jr., K. Nealson, G. Mehall, S. Silverman, and S. Ferry -- Melas Chasma: Potential Landing Site for the Mars 2001 Mission / F. Costard, N. Mangold, Ph. Masson, D. Mege, and J.P. Peulvast -- Nannobacteria on Earth Are Truly Living Organisms / R.L. Folk and F.L. Lynch -- The Mars Pathfinder Mission and Science Results / M.P. Golombek -- Constraints, Approach and Present Status for Selecting the Mars Surveyor '01 Landing Site / M. Golombek, F. Anderson, N. Bridges, G. Briggs, M. Gilmore, V. Gulick, A. Haldemann, T. Parker, R. Saunders, D. Spencer, J. Smith, L. Soderblom, and C. Weitz -- The Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) Wet Chemistry Experiment on the Mars '01 Lander / S.M. Grannan, M. Frant, M.H. Hecht, S.P. Kounaves, K. Manatt, T.P. Meloy, W.T. Pike, W. Schubert, S. West, and X. Wen -- The Hypothesis of Caves on Mars Revisited Through MGS Data: Their Potential as Targets for the Surveyor Program / E.A. Grin, E.A. Cabrol, and C.P. McKay -- Rock Statistics at the Mars Pathfinder Landing Site, Roughness and Roving on Mars / A.F.C. Haldemann, N.T. Bridges, R.C. Anderson, and M.P. Golombek -- Oceans on Mars / J.W. Head -- Site Selection for Mars Surveyor Landing Sites: Some Key Factors for 2001 and Relation to Long-term Exploration of Mars / J.W. Head -- Hand-held Lens for Mars / P. Jakes -- The Mars In-Situ-Propellant-Production Precursor (MJP) Flight Demonstration / D.l. Kaplan, J.E. Ratliff, R.S. Baird, G.B. Sanders, K.R. Johnson, P.B. Karlmann, C.R. Baraona, G.A. Landis, P.P. Jenkins, and D.A. Scheiman -- Workshop Report: Spectroscopy of the Martian Surface: What Next? / L.E. Kirkland