Experimentelle und Analytische Planetologie
EXTENDED-MIRAS: The instrumental approach for the search of traces of extinct and extant life on Mars
To search for signs of extinct and/or extant life on Mars as well as to identify hazards for future human missions are
the goals of the proposed near future missions to Mars. The search for extant life needs to look for traces of Sugars,
Phospholipids, Amino acids, Nucleotides (ATP / ADP), the search for extinct life on the other hand requires to look
for organic residuals of biological origin like fossils or related geochemical and mineralogical bio-signatures. To
fulfil these goals, a possible instrument setup must be able to characterise the organic and inorganic composition of
Martian deposits of exobiological interest and must especially be able to detect water or any related chemical
composition. Surface rocks as well as samples taken from subsurface shall be investigated with respect to their
chemical and especially mineralogical composition. EXTENDED-MIRAS is a proposed instrument capable of
answering these tasks. The instrument is a combination of an optical microscope and a laser Raman spectrometer (as
a basic setup). Other elementary characterisation methods (LIPS/LIBS, LMS) can be accommodated as extensions.
As laboratory support measurements for the EXTENDED-MIRAS project, a series of mineral samples presenting
possible biological structures were investigated by means of Raman Spectroscopy. Breccias containing organic
carbon from the Sudbury impact structure (Canada), silicified wood with inclusions of very small (1-5µm)
quartz filaments, structures from the Archaean Pilbara Craton geological site as well as quartz crystals with
biologically formed filaments (Hohenlimburg/Germany) were analysed. From these results conclusions regarding the
performance of the planned instrumental approach will be drawn.
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