General Strategy for the Search for Life on Mars and an Expedition to the Crater Jezero

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Resumo

Main features of the Noachain, Hesperian, and Amazonian periods are considered as influence factors on potential contamination/origin, protection, and evolution of microorganisms. Mars evolution during Noachian likely resembled the early evolution of Earth. This potential similarity allows origin of life on Mars. Relatively short Hesperian period was marked by intensive volcanism, fluvial and glacial activity; however environmental conditions on its surface largely overstepped the survival limits and microorganisms were either conserved in permafrost or migrated to deeper water-rich horizons. In Amazonian, Mars represented a frozen desert with very harsh conditions on the surface that was constantly sterilized by the cosmic radiation. The generally unfavorable conditions for the life evolution suggest that primitive organisms, which potentially could be formed on early Mars, were unable to evolve up to complex, multicellular organisms. Ecological niches of modern Mars are considered. Among them, the deep subsurface water horizons and сryopegs have the highest potential for survivability of microorganisms as conditions in these environments are independent from the condition on the surface. Geology of the ancient crater lake Jezero, which is the primary target of the NASA mission Perseverance, are briefly considered. Clay minerals and carbonates within the crater could represent a potential reservoir where possible remnants of microorganisms could be accumulated and stored.

Sobre autores

N. Demidov

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

Email: nikdemidov@mail.ru
St.Petersburg, Russia

M. Ivanov

Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, RAS

Email: mikhail_ivanov@brown.edu
Moscow, Russia

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