A Mission Simulating the Search for Life on Mars with Automated Drilling, Sample Handling, and Life Detection Instruments Performed in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert, Chile.

We report on a field demonstration of a rover-based drilling mission to search for biomolecular evidence of life in the arid core of the Atacama Desert, Chile. The KREX2 rover carried the Honeybee Robotics 1 m depth The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploration of New Terrains (TRIDENT) drill and a robotic arm with scoop that delivered subsurface fines to three flight prototype instruments: (1) The Signs of Life Detector (SOLID), a protein and biomolecule analyzer based on fluorescence sandwich microarray immunoassay; (2) the Planetary In Situ Capillary Electrophoresis System (PISCES), an amino acid analyzer based on subcritical water extraction coupled to microchip electrophoresis analysis; and (3) a Wet Chemistry Laboratory cell to measure soluble ions using ion selective electrodes and chronopotentiometry. A California-based science team selected and directed drilling and sampling of three sites separated by hundreds of meters that included a light-toned basin area showing evidence of aqueous activity surrounded by a rocky desert pavement. Biosignatures were detected in basin samples collected at depths ranging from 20 to 80 cm but were not detected in the surrounding area. Subsurface stratigraphy of the units drilled was interpreted from drill sensor data as fine-scale layers of sand/clay sediments interspersed with layers of harder material in the basins and a uniform subsurface composed of course-to-fine sand in the surroundings. The mission timeline and number of commands sent to accomplish each activity were tracked. The deepest sample collected (80 cm) required 55 commands, including drilling and delivery to three instruments. Elapsed time required for drilling and sample handling was less than 3 hours to collect sample from 72 cm depth, including time devoted to recovery from a jammed drill. The experiment demonstrated drilling, sample transfer technologies, and instruments that accomplished successful detection of biomolecular evidence of life in one of the most biologically sparse environments on Earth.

Life Detection and Microbial Biomarker Profiling with Signs of Life Detector-Life Detector Chip During a Mars Drilling Simulation Campaign in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert.

The low organic matter content in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert, together with abrupt temperature shifts and high ultraviolet radiation at its surface, makes this region one of the best terrestrial analogs of Mars and one of the best scenarios for testing instrumentation devoted to in situ planetary exploration. We have operated remotely and autonomously the SOLID-LDChip (Signs of Life Detector-Life Detector Chip), an antibody microarray-based sensor instrument, as part of a rover payload during the 2019 NASA Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) Mars drilling simulation campaign. A robotic arm collected drilled cuttings down to 80 cm depth and loaded SOLID to process and assay them with LDChip for searching for molecular biomarkers. A remote science team received and analyzed telemetry data and LDChip results. The data revealed the presence of microbial markers from Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria to be relatively more abundant in the middle layer (40-50 cm). In addition, the detection of several proteins from nitrogen metabolism indicates a pivotal role in the system. These findings were corroborated and complemented on "returned samples" to the lab by a comprehensive analysis that included DNA sequencing, metaproteomics, and a metabolic reconstruction of the sampled area. Altogether, the results describe a relatively complex microbial community with members capable of nitrogen fixation and denitrification, sulfur oxidation and reduction, or triggering oxidative stress responses, among other traits. This remote operation demonstrated the high maturity of SOLID-LDChip as a powerful tool for remote in situ life detection for future missions in the Solar System.

The sample handling system for the Mars Icebreaker Life mission: from dirt to data.

The Mars Icebreaker Life mission will search for subsurface life on Mars. It consists of three payload elements: a drill to retrieve soil samples from approximately 1 m below the surface, a robotic sample handling system to deliver the sample from the drill to the instruments, and the instruments themselves. This paper will discuss the robotic sample handling system. Collecting samples from ice-rich soils on Mars in search of life presents two challenges: protection of that icy soil--considered a "special region" with respect to planetary protection--from contamination from Earth, and delivery of the icy, sticky soil to spacecraft instruments. We present a sampling device that meets these challenges. We built a prototype system and tested it at martian pressure, drilling into ice-cemented soil, collecting cuttings, and transferring them to the inlet port of the SOLID2 life-detection instrument. The tests successfully demonstrated that the Icebreaker drill, sample handling system, and life-detection instrument can collectively operate in these conditions and produce science data that can be delivered via telemetry--from dirt to data. Our results also demonstrate the feasibility of using an air gap to prevent forward contamination. We define a set of six analog soils for testing over a range of soil cohesion, from loose sand to basalt soil, with angles of repose of 27° and 39°, respectively. Particle size is a key determinant of jamming of mechanical parts by soil particles. Jamming occurs when the clearance between moving parts is equal in size to the most common particle size or equal to three of these particles together. Three particles acting together tend to form bridges and lead to clogging. Our experiments show that rotary-hammer action of the Icebreaker drill influences the particle size, typically reducing particle size by ≈ 100 µm.

The Icebreaker Life Mission to Mars: a search for biomolecular evidence for life.

The search for evidence of life on Mars is the primary motivation for the exploration of that planet. The results from previous missions, and the Phoenix mission in particular, indicate that the ice-cemented ground in the north polar plains is likely to be the most recently habitable place that is currently known on Mars. The near-surface ice likely provided adequate water activity during periods of high obliquity, ≈ 5 Myr ago. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are present in the atmosphere, and nitrates may be present in the soil. Perchlorate in the soil together with iron in basaltic rock provides a possible energy source for life. Furthermore, the presence of organics must once again be considered, as the results of the Viking GCMS are now suspect given the discovery of the thermally reactive perchlorate. Ground ice may provide a way to preserve organic molecules for extended periods of time, especially organic biomarkers. The Mars Icebreaker Life mission focuses on the following science goals: (1) Search for specific biomolecules that would be conclusive evidence of life. (2) Perform a general search for organic molecules in the ground ice. (3) Determine the processes of ground ice formation and the role of liquid water. (4) Understand the mechanical properties of the martian polar ice-cemented soil. (5) Assess the recent habitability of the environment with respect to required elements to support life, energy sources, and possible toxic elements. (6) Compare the elemental composition of the northern plains with midlatitude sites. The Icebreaker Life payload has been designed around the Phoenix spacecraft and is targeted to a site near the Phoenix landing site. However, the Icebreaker payload could be supported on other Mars landing systems. Preliminary studies of the SpaceX Dragon lander show that it could support the Icebreaker payload for a landing either at the Phoenix site or at midlatitudes. Duplicate samples could be cached as a target for possible return by a Mars Sample Return mission. If the samples were shown to contain organic biomarkers, interest in returning them to Earth would be high.