The mass spectrometer ORIGIN. Credit: © University of Bern, Image: Andreas Riedo
Researchers at the University of Bern have actually established the extremely delicate ORIGIN instrument, which can supply evidence of the tiniest quantities of traces of life, for future area objectives. Space companies such as NASA have actually currently revealed interest in screening ORIGIN for future objectives. The instrument might be utilized on objectives to the ice moons of Europa (Jupiter) and Enceladus (Saturn), for instance.
The concern of whether life exists beyond the Earth is among mankind’s most essential concerns. Future NASA objectives, for instance, objective to analyze the ice moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which might possibly shelter life in the liquid oceans beneath the thick layer of ice, on the ground. Proving traces of life beyond the Earth is incredibly tough, nevertheless. Highly delicate instruments that take measurements on the ground with the best possible degree of autonomy and with high accuracy – countless kilometers from the Earth and hence without direct assistance from mankind – are needed.
An worldwide group of scientists under the management of Andreas Riedo and Niels Ligterink at the University of Bern have actually now established ORIGIN, a mass spectrometer that can spot and recognize the tiniest quantities of such traces of life. They explain the instrument in a just recently released short article in the professional journal Nature Scientific Reports. Niels Ligterink from the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) is the lead author of the worldwide research study, and co-author Andreas Riedo from the Physics Institute at the University of Bern established the instrument in the labs of the area research study and planetary sciences department of the Physics Institute. Various worldwide area companies, especially NASA, have actually currently revealed interest in screening ORIGIN for future objectives.
New instrument needed
Since the very first Mars objective “Viking” in the 1970s, mankind has actually been looking for traces of life on Mars utilizing extremely specialized instruments that are set up on landing platforms and rovers. In its early years, Mars was Earth-like, had a thick environment, and even liquid water. However, as Niels Ligterink describes, Mars lost its protective environment throughout time: “As a result of this, the surface of Mars is subjected to high solar and cosmic radiation which makes life on the surface impossible.” NASA’s “Curiosity” rover is presently taking a look at Mars in information however without any concrete indicators of traces of life to date.
Since the discovery by the Cassini and Galileo objectives of the international oceans below kilometers of ice layers on Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus, these 2 bodies have significantly end up being the focus of the look for extraterrestrial life for scientists. According to present understanding, the oceans have all of the residential or commercial properties which are not just required for the incident of life, however likewise which supply environments in which life can exist in the long term. NASA, for that reason, prepares to land an objective on Jupiter’s moon Europa around 2030 and take measurements on the ground. The objective: Identification of life. Co-author Prof. Dr. Peter Wurz from the Physics Institute at the University of Bern states: “Concepts which were specially developed for Mars cannot be simply applied to other bodies in our solar system because they are very different. New instruments with higher sensitivity and simpler and more robust analysis systems must be designed and used”.
Unprecedented measurement level of sensitivity for evidence of life in area
ORIGIN is one such brand-new instrument that outshines previous area instruments lots of terms over in regards to its measurement level of sensitivity. Various worldwide area companies have actually revealed terrific interest in the instrument for future objectives. Andreas Riedo states: “NASA has invited us to participate and test our instrument in the Arctic. The Arctic is the optimal test environment in the context of the EUROPA LANDER mission, which should start in 2025, which will allow us to demonstrate the performance of ORIGIN.”
Amino acids are crucial elements of life as we understand it on Earth. Contemporaneous evidence of specific amino acids on extraterrestrial surface areas, such as those of Europa, permit conclusions to be drawn about possible life. The measurement concept established by the Bern-based scientists is basic. Niels Ligterink describes: “Laser pulses are directed at the surface to be examined. In the process, small amounts of material are detached, the chemical composition of which is analyzed by ORIGIN in a second step”. Andreas Riedo includes: “The compelling aspect of our technology is that no complicated sample preparation techniques, which could potentially affect the result, are required. This was one of the biggest problems on Mars until now,” states Riedo. The amino acids which have actually been examined with ORIGIN to date have a particular chemical finger print which permits them to be straight recognized. Niels Ligterink: “To be honest, we didn’t expect that our first measurements would already be able to identify amino acids.”
The discovery of traces of previous or present life on bodies in our planetary system beyond the Earth is of terrific significance for a much better understanding of the presence of life in deep space and its genesis. Andreas Riedo states: “Our new measurement technology is a real improvement on the instruments currently used on space missions. If we are taken along on a future mission, we may be able to answer one of humanity’s most fundamental questions with ORIGIN: Is there life in space?”
Reference: “ORIGIN: a novel and compact Laser Desorption – Mass Spectrometry system for sensitive in situ detection of amino acids on extraterrestrial surfaces” by Niels F. W. Ligterink, Valentine Grimaudo, Pavel Moreno-García, Rustam Lukmanov, Marek Tulej, Ingo Leya, Robert Lindner, Peter Wurz, Charles S. Cockell, Pascale Ehrenfreund and Andreas Riedo, 15 June 2020, Scientific Reports.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66240-1
