NASA Still Won’t Look For Existing Life on Mars (update), earlier post
Keith’s 31 July note: I obviously expected Jim Green to answer in the same cautious way that NASA has always answered this question – one I have asked again and again for the nearly 20 years. Instead, Green launched into a detailed description of all the things that the Mars 2020 rover could detect that have a connection with life. Much of what he said clearly referred to extant / existing life. Now THAT is cool. To clarify things I sent the following request to NASA PAO “Can the Mars 2020 rover detect extant/existing life on Mars? Will NASA be looking for extant/existing life on Mars?” Let’s see how they respond.
Keith’s 25 Aug update: Well it has been nearly a month. Dwayne Brown from NASA SMD PAO specifically asked media reps who were on the telecon to send him any questions via email they might have and that he’d get an answer back to them. I haven’t heard a thing from him since I sent him the email he requested (wth cc: to SMD management). Either NASA cannot/will not answer this rather simple question or it is not on Dwayne’s priority list right now.
Keith’s 27 Aug update: I have sent additional requests via email to NASA SMD and PAO. No response.
I work on the instrument MOMA onboard ExoMars. I know roughly what the 2020 Instruments are capable of and I know that even if you bring back the cash I can think of several ways that the results of the analysis for life back here on earth are inconclusive.
Even pathfinder would have been able to detect life if it is large enough. A beetle crawling in front of a camera is the best thing you can have. Makes this fact pathfinder a life detection mission? The instruments on 2020 are good, but they are not doing everything you can do, so they are capable to miss the signs of life. Does this fact make 2020 a non life detection mission.
Put up a question which could be a requirement for the mission.
Is 2020 able to detect 1000 earth size and earth like bacteria per cubic inch?
Another one would be:
What is the amount of beta-carotine per square inch the raman is able to detect?
For that you are able to get an answer.
I saw the people struggle with the life definition and the requirements for the ExoMars mission. And the simple answer is you can’t answer the question before you found the life you are searching for.
Well said!!
The requirement for detecting life is either part of the top level requirements doc or not.
The only thing what is difficult is to verify it.
Is it part of the top level requirements? I haven’t been able to determine this through the publically available info’. Has anyone else?
Cheers.
It seems the Europeans will stumble upon life first (if it exists) or at least be looking in a much better location because there seems to be some consensus across the pond that caves are the spot. I don’t know for certain ESA martian scientists are exclusively looking for/at caves, but… Caves are ‘hot’!