Habitability on Early Mars and the Search for Biosignatures with the ExoMars Rover

Jorge L. Vago(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Francès Westall(Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire), Landing S Pasteur Instrument Teams, A. J. Coates(University College London), R. Jaumann(Institut für Lungenforschung), Oleg Korablev(Space Research Institute), Valérie Ciarletti(Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales), И. Г. Митрофанов(Space Research Institute), Jean‐Luc Josset, M. C. De Sanctis(Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology), Jean‐Pierre Bibring(Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale), F. Rull, F. Goesmann(Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research), H. Steininger(Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research), W. Goetz(Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research), W. Brinckerhoff(Goddard Space Flight Center), Cyril Szopa(Université Paris-Saclay), F. Raulin, Francès Westall(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Howell G. M. Edwards(University of Bradford), Lyle G. Whyte(McGill University), Alberto González Fairén(Centro de Astrobiología), Jean‐Pierre Bibring(Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale), J. C. Bridges, Ernst Hauber(Planet), G. G. Ori, Stéphanie C. Werner(University of Oslo), D. Loizeau, R. O. Kuzmin(Russian Academy of Sciences), R. M. E. Williams, J. Flahaut(Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie), F. Forget, Jorge L. Vago(European Space Research and Technology Centre), D. Rodionov(Space Research Institute), Oleg Korablev(Space Research Institute), H. Svedhem(European Space Research and Technology Centre), E. Sefton‐Nash(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Gerhard Kminek(European Space Research and Technology Centre), L. Lorenzoni(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Luc Joudrier(European Space Research and Technology Centre), В. С. Михайлов(Central Research Institute for Machine Building), Alexander Zashchirinskiy, S. N. Alexashkin, F. Calantropio(Thales (Italy)), Andrea Merlo(Thales (Italy)), Pantelis Poulakis(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Olivier Witasse(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Olivier Bayle(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Silvia Bayón(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Uwe J. Meierhenrich, John Carter(Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale), Juan Manuel García‐Ruiz, P. Baglioni(European Space Research and Technology Centre), A. F. C. Haldemann(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Andrew Ball(European Space Research and Technology Centre), A. Debus(Centre National d'Études Spatiales), Robert Lindner(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Frédéric Haessig(European Space Research and Technology Centre), David Monteiro(European Space Research and Technology Centre), R. Trautner(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Christoph Voland(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Pierre Rebeyre(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Duncan Goulty(European Space Research and Technology Centre), F. Didot(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Stephen Durrant(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Eric Zekri(European Space Research and Technology Centre), D. Koschny(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Andrea De Toni(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Gianfranco Visentin(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Martin Zwick(European Space Research and Technology Centre), M. van Winnendael(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Martín Azkarate(European Space Research and Technology Centre), Christophe Carreau(European Space Research and Technology Centre), the ExoMars Project Team
Astrobiology
July 1, 2017
10.1089/ast.2016.1533
Cited by 478Open Access
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Abstract

The second ExoMars mission will be launched in 2020 to target an ancient location interpreted to have strong potential for past habitability and for preserving physical and chemical biosignatures (as well as abiotic/prebiotic organics). The mission will deliver a lander with instruments for atmospheric and geophysical investigations and a rover tasked with searching for signs of extinct life. The ExoMars rover will be equipped with a drill to collect material from outcrops and at depth down to 2 m. This subsurface sampling capability will provide the best chance yet to gain access to chemical biosignatures. Using the powerful Pasteur payload instruments, the ExoMars science team will conduct a holistic search for traces of life and seek corroborating geological context information. Key Words: Biosignatures-ExoMars-Landing sites-Mars rover-Search for life. Astrobiology 17, 471-510.

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