Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection
Abstract The Mars Sample Return mission intends to retrieve a sealed collection of rocks, regolith, and atmosphere sampled from Jezero Crater, Mars, by the NASA Perseverance rover mission. For all life-related research, it is necessary to evaluate water availability in the samples and on Mars. Withi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57458-4 |
| _version_ | 1797233663111331840 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria-Paz Zorzano Germán Martínez Jouni Polkko Leslie K. Tamppari Claire Newman Hannu Savijärvi Yulia Goreva Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras Tanguy Bertrand Michael Smith Elisabeth M. Hausrath Sandra Siljeström Kathleen Benison Tanja Bosak Andrew D. Czaja Vinciane Debaille Christopher D. K. Herd Lisa Mayhew Mark A. Sephton David Shuster Justin I. Simon Benjamin Weiss Nicolas Randazzo Lucia Mandon Adrian Brown Michael H. Hecht Jesús Martínez-Frías |
| author_facet | Maria-Paz Zorzano Germán Martínez Jouni Polkko Leslie K. Tamppari Claire Newman Hannu Savijärvi Yulia Goreva Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras Tanguy Bertrand Michael Smith Elisabeth M. Hausrath Sandra Siljeström Kathleen Benison Tanja Bosak Andrew D. Czaja Vinciane Debaille Christopher D. K. Herd Lisa Mayhew Mark A. Sephton David Shuster Justin I. Simon Benjamin Weiss Nicolas Randazzo Lucia Mandon Adrian Brown Michael H. Hecht Jesús Martínez-Frías |
| author_sort | Maria-Paz Zorzano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Mars Sample Return mission intends to retrieve a sealed collection of rocks, regolith, and atmosphere sampled from Jezero Crater, Mars, by the NASA Perseverance rover mission. For all life-related research, it is necessary to evaluate water availability in the samples and on Mars. Within the first Martian year, Perseverance has acquired an estimated total mass of 355 g of rocks and regolith, and 38 μmoles of Martian atmospheric gas. Using in-situ observations acquired by the Perseverance rover, we show that the present-day environmental conditions at Jezero allow for the hydration of sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates and the occasional formation of frost as well as a diurnal atmospheric-surface water exchange of 0.5–10 g water per m2 (assuming a well-mixed atmosphere). At night, when the temperature drops below 190 K, the surface water activity can exceed 0.5, the lowest limit for cell reproduction. During the day, when the temperature is above the cell replication limit of 245 K, water activity is less than 0.02. The environmental conditions at the surface of Jezero Crater, where these samples were acquired, are incompatible with the cell replication limits currently known on Earth. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:19:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63646d80f0974dfc9dfcf63624b9ade1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:19:45Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-63646d80f0974dfc9dfcf63624b9ade12024-03-31T11:16:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-03-0114111210.1038/s41598-024-57458-4Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collectionMaria-Paz Zorzano0Germán Martínez1Jouni Polkko2Leslie K. Tamppari3Claire Newman4Hannu Savijärvi5Yulia Goreva6Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras7Tanguy Bertrand8Michael Smith9Elisabeth M. Hausrath10Sandra Siljeström11Kathleen Benison12Tanja Bosak13Andrew D. Czaja14Vinciane Debaille15Christopher D. K. Herd16Lisa Mayhew17Mark A. Sephton18David Shuster19Justin I. Simon20Benjamin Weiss21Nicolas Randazzo22Lucia Mandon23Adrian Brown24Michael H. Hecht25Jesús Martínez-Frías26Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTALunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research AssociationFinnish Meteorological InstituteJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyAeolis ResearchUniversity of HelsinkiJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyCentro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTALaboratoire d’Etudes Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA), Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Univ. Paris DiderotNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDepartment of Geoscience, University of NevadaRISE Research Institutes of SwedenWest Virginia UniversityDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Geosciences, University of CincinnatiLaboratoire G-Time, Université Libre de BruxellesDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of AlbertaDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderDepartment of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College LondonUniversity of CaliforniaCenter for Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochronology, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space CenterDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of AlbertaDivision of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of TechnologyPlancius ResearchMIT Haystack ObservatoryInstituto de Geociencias (CSIC-UCMAbstract The Mars Sample Return mission intends to retrieve a sealed collection of rocks, regolith, and atmosphere sampled from Jezero Crater, Mars, by the NASA Perseverance rover mission. For all life-related research, it is necessary to evaluate water availability in the samples and on Mars. Within the first Martian year, Perseverance has acquired an estimated total mass of 355 g of rocks and regolith, and 38 μmoles of Martian atmospheric gas. Using in-situ observations acquired by the Perseverance rover, we show that the present-day environmental conditions at Jezero allow for the hydration of sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates and the occasional formation of frost as well as a diurnal atmospheric-surface water exchange of 0.5–10 g water per m2 (assuming a well-mixed atmosphere). At night, when the temperature drops below 190 K, the surface water activity can exceed 0.5, the lowest limit for cell reproduction. During the day, when the temperature is above the cell replication limit of 245 K, water activity is less than 0.02. The environmental conditions at the surface of Jezero Crater, where these samples were acquired, are incompatible with the cell replication limits currently known on Earth.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57458-4Mars sample returnWater activityTemperatureHabitabilityJezeroEnvironment |
| spellingShingle | Maria-Paz Zorzano Germán Martínez Jouni Polkko Leslie K. Tamppari Claire Newman Hannu Savijärvi Yulia Goreva Daniel Viúdez-Moreiras Tanguy Bertrand Michael Smith Elisabeth M. Hausrath Sandra Siljeström Kathleen Benison Tanja Bosak Andrew D. Czaja Vinciane Debaille Christopher D. K. Herd Lisa Mayhew Mark A. Sephton David Shuster Justin I. Simon Benjamin Weiss Nicolas Randazzo Lucia Mandon Adrian Brown Michael H. Hecht Jesús Martínez-Frías Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection Scientific Reports Mars sample return Water activity Temperature Habitability Jezero Environment |
| title | Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection |
| title_full | Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection |
| title_fullStr | Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection |
| title_short | Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection |
| title_sort | present day thermal and water activity environment of the mars sample return collection |
| topic | Mars sample return Water activity Temperature Habitability Jezero Environment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57458-4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariapazzorzano presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT germanmartinez presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT jounipolkko presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT lesliektamppari presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT clairenewman presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT hannusavijarvi presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT yuliagoreva presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT danielviudezmoreiras presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT tanguybertrand presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT michaelsmith presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT elisabethmhausrath presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT sandrasiljestrom presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT kathleenbenison presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT tanjabosak presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT andrewdczaja presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT vincianedebaille presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT christopherdkherd presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT lisamayhew presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT markasephton presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT davidshuster presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT justinisimon presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT benjaminweiss presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT nicolasrandazzo presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT luciamandon presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT adrianbrown presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT michaelhhecht presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection AT jesusmartinezfrias presentdaythermalandwateractivityenvironmentofthemarssamplereturncollection |