From school to space: Students encouraged research to find signs of life on Mars

Several tasks have been dispatched Marte Looking for evidence Organic molecules based on water and carbon. However, detection Biofirms, Proving the existence of past or present life is a challenge due to poor stability over time and extreme environmental conditions, particularly environmental conditions. Radiation. Recently, a team of young budding researchers helped demonstrate how to find evidence of life on Mars.

Students of High school St. Bernard’s Convent and Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex and L United Kingdom, Help in Scientists from the Natural History Museum And University College London An experiment should look for evidence of what ancient life might have left behind on the Red Planet.

Students from a sixth-form co-ed girls’ school prepared samples of the microbial mat that were carried to the edge of space in a balloon. Follow the conditions in Mars. This allowed the researchers to study any changes in the cold, dry atmosphere caused by signs of life. Results are published AAS Research Notes.

The scientists wanted to involve the students in this research in as many ways as possible, and they were really engaged throughout. Science is influenced by diversity, so working with these young people was a privilege.

Since the 1990s, Six rovers have successfully landed on the surface of Mars Learn more about the planet. Many of these works attempted to answer one big question: Was there ever life on Mars?

A definitive answer is not as far-fetched as it may seem. Although a human cannot survive on the surface of Mars, many have microorganismPeople on earth will find its atmosphere very hospitable Dry and full of carbon dioxide.

If it ever existed, Martian life should have left traces in the form of physical or chemical markers called biosignatures. But recognizing these symptoms can be difficult. Higher levels RadiationLos extreme temperature And this Climate Maybe from Mars Damaged or darkened Markers are hard to spot.

To explain this, the researchers wanted to know what telltale signs there are when biosignatures break down. The team was particularly interested in the outcome So Among them. On Earth, this mineral is found in dry lakes and is suggested to be a mineral on Mars Protected organic molecules Any living thing in liquid water. But there are problems with this.

Although gypsum is good for preserving organic matter, it can also make it difficult to find. while working infrared, The problem is that many of the key properties of gypsum have absorption properties that obscure the organic peaks in the spectrum. It’s like a vicious circle.

Working with students, the team decided to simulate what Signs of ancient life On the Red Planet using the collections of the Natural History Museum.

To simulate possible Martian biosignatures, the team faced two challenges:

1-Find a change mars life

2-Simulate Planetary conditions.

It is believed that if life existed on Mars, it could have taken the form Microbial mats. About A collection of bacteria and other microorganisms This produced the oldest evidence of life on Earth, so it is not unreasonable to assume that life on Mars may have followed a similar path.

As part of their research, experts are working with samples of microbial mats Natural History Museum Collection Collected during A journey of discoveryMovement Early 20th century polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott. These mats are well preserved and, despite their age, still show strong biological signatures.

This made them a good choice to use. Now they have found out proxy, The team had to simulate conditions on Mars. They sought a company to solve this problem Thales Alenia Space, throws that Weather balloons People who have taken school science experiments to the edge of space since 2014.

By taking samples to the edge of space, they were expected to experience conditions similar to those found on the Red Planet. The school children finished with the balloon ready for launch Mix small samples of the microbial mat with the plaster at different rates before sealing the samples in plastic containers.

Half were left as a restraint on Earth, while the others soared about 30 kilometers above Earth before parachuting safely to the ground.

Returned samples later Scanned By Infrared spectrum, an option to identify the composition of a sample by observing how it absorbs infrared radiation. Scans of control samples revealed that high amounts of gypsum in the mix masked biosignatures of the microbial mat.

However, the picture is different for models that have traveled to the edge of space. was due to high altitude exposure Plaster dries, As a result some aspects of the mat were highlighted in the analysis.

This suggests that the Mars rovers will be equipped with infrared spectrometers Persistence and passion of NASA, Even preserved in plaster they can detect biosignatures.

Experts hope that future experiments could shed light on how other minerals affect the detection of biosignatures, giving researchers a better chance of detecting signs of organic matter on Mars.

* Connor Ballard is Associate Scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. PhD student in Astrophysics/Geology at University College London