Search Publications
Astrobiological Potential of Fe/Mg Smectites with Special Emphasis on Jezero Crater, Mars 2020 Landing Site
Singh, Deepali; Sinha, Rishitosh K.; Singh, Priyadarshini +2 more
Life is known to adapt in accordance with its surrounding environment and sustainable resources available to it. Since harsh conditions would have precluded any possible aerobic evolution of life at the martian surface, it is plausible that martian life, should it exist, would have evolved in such a way as to derive energy from more optimum resour…
Oxia Planum: The Landing Site for the ExoMars "Rosalind Franklin" Rover Mission: Geological Context and Prelanding Interpretation
Pan, Lu; Quantin-Nataf, Cathy; Fawdon, Peter +18 more
The European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos ExoMars mission will launch the "Rosalind Franklin" rover in 2022 for a landing on Mars in <uri xlink:href="http://2023.The">2023.The</uri> goals of the mission are to search for signs of past and present life on Mars, investigate the water/geochemical environment as a function of depth in …
Morphological and Spectral Diversity of the Clay-Bearing Unit at the ExoMars Landing Site Oxia Planum
Pan, Lu; Quantin-Nataf, Cathy; Cremonese, Gabriele +10 more
The European Space Agency and Roscosmos' ExoMars rover mission, which is planned to land in the Oxia Planum region, will be dedicated to exobiology studies at the surface and subsurface of Mars. Oxia Planum is a clay-bearing site that has preserved evidence of long-term interaction with water during the Noachian era. Fe/Mg-rich phyllosilicates hav…
Interrelationships in the Gypsum–Syngenite–Görgeyite System and Their Possible Formation on Mars
Arana, Gorka; Madariaga, Juan Manuel; García-Florentino, Cristina +7 more
Fluvial Regimes, Morphometry, and Age of Jezero Crater Paleolake Inlet Valleys and Their Exobiological Significance for the 2020 Rover Mission Landing Site
Mangold, Nicolas; Quantin-Nataf, Cathy; Massé, Marion +5 more
Jezero crater has been selected as the landing site for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, because it contains a paleolake with two fan-deltas, inlet and outlet valleys. Using the data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), we conducted a quantitative geomorphological study of the …
Mawrth Vallis, Mars: A Fascinating Place for Future In Situ Exploration
Horgan, Briony; Poulet, François; Carter, John +4 more
After the successful landing of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, both NASA and ESA initiated a selection process for potential landing sites for the Mars2020 and ExoMars missions, respectively. Two ellipses located in the Mawrth Vallis region were proposed and evaluated during a series of meetings (three for Mars2020 mission and five for ExoMars…
Estimated Minimum Life Span of the Jezero Fluvial Delta (Mars)
Mangold, Nicolas; Salese, Francesco; Kleinhans, Maarten G. +4 more
The paleo-lake floor at the edge of the Jezero delta has been selected as the NASA 2020 rover landing site. In this article, we demonstrate the sequences of lake filling and delta formation and constrain the minimum life span of the Jezero paleo-lake from sedimentological and hydrological analyses. Two main phases of delta evolution can be recogni…
Using Science-Driven Analog Research to Investigate Extravehicular Activity Science Operations Concepts and Capabilities for Human Planetary Exploration
Brady, Allyson L.; Kobs Nawotniak, Shannon E.; Hughes, Scott S. +7 more
Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) is a science-driven exploration program seeking to determine the best tools, techniques, training requirements, and execution strategies for conducting Mars-relevant field science under spaceflight mission conditions. BASALT encompasses Science, Science Operations, and Technology objec…
Strategic Planning Insights for Future Science-Driven Extravehicular Activity on Mars
Brady, Allyson L.; Kobs Nawotniak, Shannon E.; Hughes, Scott S. +8 more
Short-term and long-term science plans were developed as part of the strategic planning process used by the Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) science team to conduct two Mars-simulation missions investigating basalt habitability at terrestrial volcanic analog sites in 2016. A multidisciplinary team of scientists genera…
Assessing the Acceptability of Science Operations Concepts and the Level of Mission Enhancement of Capabilities for Human Mars Exploration Extravehicular Activity
Beaton, K. H.; Chappell, S. P.; Abercromby, A. F. J. +7 more
The Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) research project is investigating tools, techniques, and strategies for conducting Mars scientific exploration extravehicular activity (EVA). This has been accomplished through three science-driven terrestrial field tests (BASALT-1, BASALT-2, and BASALT-3) during which the iterativ…