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The Quest for Organic Carbon on MarsWe are entering an era of Mars exploration in which organic carbon detection, characterization, and structural identification will be key to addressing some of the outstanding science objectives of the Mars Exploration Program. Success of these missions will depend on technical, scientific, and strategic elements--all of which are strongly determined based on terrestrial experience and knowledge of organic matter formation, concentration, and preservation. Analog studies including Precambrian sediments, modern endolithic communities, and experiments help us fine-tune these approaches, but we also need to expect the unexpected. This presentation will provide perspective on the challenges of detecting organic carbon on Mars, how we may achieve such detections with the in situ instruments, such as the SAM (Science Analysis at Mars) instrument suite onboard Curiosity, the rover for the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory mission.
Document ID
20110012830
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Eigenbrode, Jennifer
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2011
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.ABS.4365.2011
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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