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Spectroscopic and spectrometric differentiation between abiotic and biogenic material on icy worlds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2010

Kevin P. Hand ,
Christopher P. McKay  and
Carl B. Pilcher
Kevin P. Hand
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 183-601, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 email: khand@jpl.nasa.gov
Christopher P. McKay
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 email: chris.mckay@nasa.gov
Carl B. Pilcher
Affiliation:
NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 email: carl.b.pilcher@nasa.gov
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Abstract

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The ability to differentiate abiotic organic material from material of a biological origin is a critical task for astrobiology. Mass spectrometry and spectroscopy provide key tools for advancing this task and are two techniques that provide useful and highly complementary compositional information independent of a specific biochemical pathway. Here we address some of the utility and limitations of applying these techniques to both orbital and in situ exploration of icy moons of the outer solar system.

Keywords

AstrobiologyEuropaMoonsBiosignaturesExobiologySpectroscopy

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