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Surface and subsurface composition of the Life in the Atacama field sites from rover data and orbital image analysis
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA
Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA
Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA
Universidad Catolica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
Eventscope, Remote Experience and Learning Laboratory, Studio for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center, Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Pescara, Italy
International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Pescara, Italy
Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
GROK Laboratory, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
GROK Laboratory, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
GROK Laboratory, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
The Life in the Atacama project examined six different sites in the Atacama Desert (Chile) over 3 years in an attempt to remotely detect the presence of life with a rover. The remote science team, using only orbital and rover data sets, identified areas with a high potential for life as targets for further inspection by the rover. Orbital data in the visible/near infrared (VNIR) and in the thermal infrared (TIR) were used to examine the mineralogy, geomorphology, and chlorophyll potential of the field sites. Field instruments included two spectrometers (VNIR reflectance and TIR emission) and a neutron detector: this project represents the first time a neutron detector has been used as part of a “science-blind” rover field test. Rover-based spectroscopy was used to identify the composition of small scale features not visible in the orbital images and to improve interpretations of those data sets. The orbital and ground-based data sets produced consistent results, suggesting that much of the field sites consist of altered volcanic terrains with later deposits of sulfates, quartz, and iron oxides. At one location (Site A), the ground-based spectral data revealed considerably greater compositional diversity than was seen from the orbital view. One neutron detector transect provided insight into subsurface hydrogen concentrations, which correlated with life and surface features. The results presented here have implications for targeting strategies, especially for future Mars rover missions looking for potential habitats/paleohabitats.
Received 19 September 2006; accepted 16 August 2007; published 20 October 2007.
Citation: (2007), Surface and subsurface composition of the Life in the Atacama field sites from rover data and orbital image analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 112, G04S04, doi:10.1029/2006JG000317.
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