Astrobiology on the Moon. O. Santos, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 239-4, Moffett Field, CA 94035; E- Mail: [email protected]
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Astrobiology on the Moon. O. Santos, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 239-4, Moffett Field, CA 94035; e- mail: [email protected]. Introduction: Although it may seem at first duced gravitational fields under space radiation expo- glance that the role of Astrobiology in lunar science sure. Studies could be conducted under lunar gravity might be relatively small, in fact, the Moon would of- or, using centrifuges, at Martian gravity levels. fer an opportunity to answer several important scien- Objective 5.1. Environment-dependent, molecular tific questions, and would be an excellent test bed for evolution in microorganisms: Microorganisms are future Mars/outer Solar System technology and life essential for human life. They will probably be utilized detection methods. in advanced life support and bioremediation systems. This presentation will review the Astrobiology Experiments on the Moon could help in understanding Roadmap, identify goals and objectives that could be how gravity and radiation affect microbial evolution. addressed on the Moon, and describe some candidate Objective 5.2. Co-evolution of microbial communi- experiments and technology development. ties: In addition to understanding how individual spe- The Astrobiology Roadmap: The NASA Astro- cies evolve, it will be critical to understand the effects biology Roadmap [1] was developed in 2002 by a of gravity and radiation on mixed, wild-type, microbial team of 19 scientists from the U.S. government, uni- communities. Questions addressing microbial Popula- versities, and private research institutions. The Road- tion Genetics, including adaptive changes in allele map was vetted with the external community in an frequencies, and microbial Ecology, including shifts in open forum at the 2002 Astrobiology Science Confer- species make-up, could be addressed on the Moon. ence, and by inviting comments on the web. The Objective 5.3. Biochemical adaptation to extreme Roadmap is formulated in terms of seven Science environments: Can Earth organisms survive on the Goals; for each goal, specific Science Objectives iden- Moon? How long do bacterial spores remain viable on tify high priority efforts. Below are the Science Goals the Moon? These questions are important both from a that could be addressed on the Moon, and examples of scientific perspective, and to determine Planetary Pro- experiments addressing each Science Objective. tection requirements for future missions to Mars and Goal 2. Explore for past or present habitable elsewhere that life could potentially exist. environments, prebiotic chemistry and signs of life Goal 6. Understand the principles that will elsewhere in our Solar System: This goal has two shape the future of life, both on Earth and beyond: objectives: “Mars exploration” and “outer Solar Sys- Objective 6.2. “Adaptation and evolution of life be- tem exploration”. yond Earth” could be addressed on the Moon. Long Lunar studies could support this goal by providing term studies to understand how Earth organisms (in- a “blank” non-biological environment for testing. It cluding mammals) adapt to, and evolve in Lunar and will be critical to understand the nature of the con- Martian conditions could be conducted on the Moon. taminants inadvertently carried aboard spacecraft and Goal 7. Determine how to recognize signatures instruments, and how those contaminants interact with of life on other worlds and on early Earth. Again, a planetary environment. the Moon represents a unique “blank” for testing of The Moon would also be a site to search for Mar- life detection technologies. Known quantities of bio- tian and early Earth meteorites, that could yield in- logical materials could be introduced for testing pur- sights into pre-biotic chemistry and early life, and per- poses. The Moon also represents a unique vantage haps even evidence for Martian life. point for looking back at the entire Earth, allowing for Goal 3. Understand how life emerges from cos- whole planet testing. mic and planetary precursors: The first objective References: [1] Des Marais, D. J., Allamandola, L. under this goal, “Sources of prebiotic materials and J., Benner, S. A., Boss, A. P., Deamer, D., Falkowski, catalysts” could be addressed on the Moon. The Moon P. G., Farmer, J. D., Hedges, S. B., Jakosky, B. M., represents an ancient, relatively unaltered environment Knoll, A. H., Liskowsky, D. R., Meadows, V. S., that could yield insights into how prebiotic materials Meyer, M. A., Pilcher, C. B., Nealson, K. H., Spor- were delivered to Earth and other Solar System bodies. mann, A. M., Trent, J. D., Turner, W. W., Woolf, N. Goal 5: Understand the evolutionary mecha- J., Yorke, H. W. (2003) The NASA Astrobiology nisms and environmental limits of life: This goal is Roadmap. Astrobiology, Vol. 3, Number 2, 219-235. possibly the most relevant for lunar science. The Moon represents a unique test bed, and is currently the only possible locale for long-term biological studies in re-.