Preservation of organics at Mars' near-surface

Abstract : One of the biggest concerns for the in situ detection of organic molecules on extraterrestrial environment is the preservation potential of the molecules at the surface and subsurface given the harsh radiative environment and oxidants they are exposed to. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission hosts Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), a 40 kg suite of instruments which is devoted to make the inventory of organic and inorganic compounds in Mars’ atmosphere and subsurface, and understanding their processes of preservation. To date, SAM has detected and identified several organic molecules in the Martian subsuface, such as chloroalkanes, chlorobenzene at various states of chlorination, sulphur-containaing molecules and functionalized aromatic hydrocarbons. The presence of organic molecules opens up habitability to another level, where the building blocks of life were available. Understanding their windows of preservation of organics will help in the search for prebiotic or biological signature on Mars.