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Space Topics: Planetary AnalogsExploring Mars on EarthThe Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard ExpeditionRead reports from the August 2006 expedition.
High in the Arctic, just below Earth's north polar ice cap, a collaboration of of nearly two dozen biologists, geologists, and engineers came together to practice and prepare for an expedition to Mars. Every August for the past several years, a consortium of scientists led by the Carnegie Institute of Washington head off for an expedition to the island of Spitsbergen (part of the Svalbard archipelago), only about 600 miles from the North Pole. The now-annual expedition is called the Arctic Mars Analogue Svalbard Expedition (AMASE), and this year, it was sponsored by NASA's Astrobiology Program. The Planetary Society cosponsored the effort, enabling the testing of a spacesuit designed for the Moon and Mars. The 2006 expedition lasted from August 8 to 22. Throughout the expedition, we heard from Jake Maule, a biologist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington who is the lucky one to work in the spacesuit. You can read his updates here. During AMASE 2006, researchers tested a modified Mark III spacesuit replica. Although the test suit is lighter than the original Mark III, it is still quite heavy on Earth -- about 35 kilograms (75 pounds). Expedition team member Jake Maule donned the suit to practice working with science instruments while wearing the cumbersome (although life-preserving) outerwear. Before taking it out in the field, astrobiologists sterilized and tested the suit and then tested again afterward to see what contaminants, including from the wearer, were brought back with the suit. Scientists also observed how the sterilization process affects the joints of the suit as well as watched for any damage or deterioration that may happen during fieldwork. They also tested the ability to manipulate sterile sample containers without contaminating them -- a necessary procedure that needs to be worked out if humans are to search for life on Mars.
Engineers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory also tested a highly capable rover designed to safely maneuver cliff faces. The "cliff bot" may one day be used in concert with astronauts, so our human explorer at the Mars analog site practiced how to best to coordinate human and robotic activities. While testing the spacesuit, researchers also be tried out new tools for communication and data logging, such as a wearable computer, throat microphone, and digital display. Testing the spacesuit and the cliff bot are just two of the many objectives that the 2006 expedition team wanted to achieve. Two instruments headed for Mars on the planned Mars Science Laboratory mission -- the CheMin X-ray Diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence (XRD/XRF) instrument used for mineralogical analysis and the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer used for atmospheric analysis -- were tested to see how they perform in the frigid environment and were used to develop protocols to search for organics. Team members also tested the Mars Microbeam Raman Spectrometer and an ultraviolet spectrometer being developed for future missions. Additionally, some team members are developing new astrobiological instruments using modern microbiological forensic techniques. One of these instruments, the Lab-on-a-Chip, is set to fly on an upcoming shuttle mission to test for molds and pathogens on the International Space Station. The Analog SiteSvalbard, meaning "cold coast," is an archipelago composed of four main islands and about 150 smaller ones. It's a Norwegian territory located about halfway between Tromso in Norway and the North Pole. Roughly 60 percent of Svalbard is glacierized.
One of this year's expedition sites, located in the Bockfjorden area of Svalbard at 80ºN, is an intriguing place where hot meets cold. About 1 million years ago, the Sverrefjell volcano erupted through an ice sheet. Today, the ice sheet is gone, and the volcano is quiet. In this dry and cold environment, hot springs still simmer, exhaling Argon and Helium gasses from Earth's mantle. Shaped by volcanism, ice, and liquid water, Svalbard reminds us of how Mars might have once been. Volcanic activity like this could still percolate beneath the surface of Mars and may be a potential habitat for microbial life. The AMASE site has another important connection to Mars. Here, scientists have found carbonate spherules that are nearly identical to those we see in Martian meteorite ALH84001 -- the meteorite discovered in 1996, which, although still controversial, houses possible evidence of simple life. The spherules found in Bockfjorden typically have iron-rich cores and magnesium-rich rims, sometimes embedded in a calcite matrix -- a texture and composition that is identical to ALH84001. Expedition scientists are looking at both abiological and biological agents that may produce the Earthly carbonate spherules to better understand what may have formed similar structures on Mars. The expedition team traveled to the Bockfjorden area by boat, and returned to that boat to sleep each "night" (in August, there is 24 hours of daylight). Camping in this area of Svalbard is very dangerous due to polar bears. Read updates from the 2006 expedition. |
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