EA new device can detect traces of life on other planets and moons much more precisely than before – should they exist. A well-established mass spectrometer – OrbitrapTM – has been reduced to less than a twentieth of its conventional weight without sacrificing precision, reports a research group led by Ricardo Arevalo from the University of Maryland in College Park (Maryland, USA) in the journal ” Nature Astronomy”.
“It took us eight years to produce a prototype that can be used efficiently in space – significantly smaller and less resource-intensive, but still suitable for cutting-edge research,” explains Arevalo. For the use of the device, he and his team have two planned missions of the US space agency Nasa in mind: an investigation of Saturn’s moon Enceladus (“Enceladus Orbilander”) and the exploration of the surface of the Earth’s moon as part of the “Artemis” program.
For analysis in the spectrometer, the matter being examined is ionized and accelerated through an electric field in order to determine the ratio of mass to electric charge. This results in characteristic values for a molecule. The researchers use a laser for ionization. “If we shoot our laser beam at an ice sample, we should be able to characterize the composition of the ice and see biosignatures in it,” explains Arevalo. The device has such a high mass resolution and accuracy that the molecular or chemical structures in a sample can be identified much better than with previously used devices.
Researchers have managed to reduce an established mass spectrometer to less than a twentieth of its conventional weight
Source: Ricardo Arevalo
It is important to the scientists that the spectrometer not only detects relatively simple organic molecules such as amino acids. These building blocks of proteins (proteins) can also arise without biological processes. “Meteorites, many of which are brimming with amino acids, can crash onto a planet’s surface and bring abiotic organic matter to the surface,” says Arevalo. Although amino acids are an important part of living cells, their detection would not be evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Saturn’s moon Enceladus has an icy surface and liquid water, at least near volcanoes. Therefore, it is considered a worthwhile object for the search for life in space. From samples taken from Saturn’s moon’s water ice fountains, astronomers know that the water also contains salts such as sodium chloride and potassium chloride. As corresponding tests have shown, the new device can clearly identify molecules such as thymine, a component of the genetic material DNA, even in an environment rich in salt.
The authors of the study hope to be able to send their device into space and use it on an interesting celestial body in the next few years. According to Arevalos, the development “has the potential to significantly improve the way we currently study the geochemistry or astrobiology of a planet’s surface.” dpa
