MOMA: the challenge to search for organics and biosignatures on Mars

W. Goetz (1) , W. B. Brinckerhoff (2) , R. Arevalo (2) , Caroline Freissinet (2) , S. Getty (2) , D. P. Glavin (2) , S. Siljeström (3) , Arnaud Buch (4) , F. Stalport (5) , A. Grubisic (2) , Xiaojian Li (2) , V. Pinnick (2) , R. Danell (6) , F. H. W. Van Amerom (7) , F. Goesmann (1) , H. Steininger (1) , Noël Grand (5) , François Raulin (5) , Cyril Szopa (8, 9) , U. Meierhenrich (10) , J. R. Brucato (11)

1 MPS - Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
2 GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
3 SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
4 LGPM - Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés et Matériaux - EA 4038
5 LISA (UMR_7583) - Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques
6 Danell Consulting Inc.
7 Mini-Mass Consulting, Inc.
8 IUF - Institut Universitaire de France
9 PLANETO - LATMOS
10 ICN - Institut de Chimie de Nice
11 OAA - INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri

This paper describes strategies to search for, detect, and identify organic material on the surface and subsurface of Mars. The strategies described include those applied by landed missions in the past and those that will be applied in the future. The value and role of ESA's ExoMars rover and of her key science instrument Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) are critically assessed.

Keywords: biosignature; life; perchlorate; MOMA; Mars; ExoMars rover; organic

Domains: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]

W. Goetz, W. B. Brinckerhoff, R. Arevalo, Caroline Freissinet, S. Getty, et al.. MOMA: the challenge to search for organics and biosignatures on Mars. International Journal of Astrobiology, 2016, 15 (3), pp.239-250. ⟨10.1017/S1473550416000227⟩. ⟨insu-01349759⟩