Exobiology in the Solar System & The Search for Life on Mars - ESA

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Exobiology</strong> Science Team was established <strong>in</strong> September 1996 by Dr. P. Clancy
of ESA’s Directorate of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity. <strong>The</strong> task of <strong>the</strong> Team
was to survey current research <strong>in</strong> exobiology and related fields and <strong>the</strong>n to make
recommendations to ESA on <strong>the</strong> nature of a future search <strong>for</strong> life elsewhere <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>
<strong>Solar</strong> <strong>System</strong>. In carry<strong>in</strong>g out that task, <strong>the</strong> Team has benefited considerably from <strong>the</strong>
contributions provided by many o<strong>the</strong>r experts, as listed below.
From a scientific po<strong>in</strong>t of view, it is probably <strong>the</strong> first time <strong>in</strong> recent years that <strong>the</strong>
various relevant aspects <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> a potential search <strong>for</strong> life elsewhere have been
brought toge<strong>the</strong>r and exam<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> such detail <strong>in</strong> Europe. Likewise, this is <strong>the</strong> first
attempt to outl<strong>in</strong>e what exobiology space experiments might reasonably be planned,
given <strong>the</strong> limited resources currently available <strong>in</strong> Europe <strong>for</strong> new ventures, however
excit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>y may be.
<strong>The</strong> results of this first study are presented <strong>in</strong> Part I. For this part, <strong>the</strong> Team
comprised:
Chairman: André Brack, Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans,
France.
Patrick Forterre, Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université de Paris
Sud, Orsay, France.
Gerda Horneck, Institute of Aerospace Medic<strong>in</strong>e, DLR, Porz-Wahn, Germany.
Col<strong>in</strong> Pill<strong>in</strong>ger, Planetary Sciences Research Institute, Open University,
Milton Keynes, UK.
Manfred Schidlowski, Max-Planck Institut für Chemie, Abteilung Biochemie,
Ma<strong>in</strong>z, Germany.
He<strong>in</strong>rich Wänke, Max-Planck Institut für Chemie, Abteilung Kosmochemie,
Ma<strong>in</strong>z, Germany.
Secretary: Brian Fitton, European Science Consultants, Sassenheim,
Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands.
With <strong>the</strong> folow<strong>in</strong>g contributors:
Nathalie Cabrol, Space Science Division, NASA Ames, Moffett Field,
Cali<strong>for</strong>nia, USA.
Ignasi Casanova, Institute <strong>for</strong> Space Studies, Univ.Politec. Catalunya,
Barcelona, Spa<strong>in</strong>.
August<strong>in</strong> Chicarro, Space Science Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk,
Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands.
A<strong>the</strong>na Coustenis, DESPA, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France.
G. Egl<strong>in</strong>gton, Bristol University, Bristol, UK.
M. Fenzi, Technospazio, Milan, Italy.
H.U. Keller, Max Planck Institut für Aeronomie, L<strong>in</strong>dau, Germany.
Alexandra MacDermott, Chemistry Department, Cambridge University,
Cambridge, U.K.
Michel Maurette, CSNSM, Orsay Campus, Orsay, France.
J. Parkes, Bristol University, Bristol, UK.
Francois Raul<strong>in</strong>, LISA/CNRS, Universités de Paris 7 & 12, Créteil, France.
Dave Ro<strong>the</strong>ry, Earth Science Dept. Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Didier Schmidt, Space Science Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands.
Alan Schwartz, Laboratory <strong>for</strong> Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Science,
University of Nijmegen, Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands.
A. Steele, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
A major outcome was <strong>the</strong> recommendation to seek evidence of ext<strong>in</strong>ct life below
<strong>the</strong> surface of Mars, us<strong>in</strong>g a group of six <strong>in</strong>struments. All of <strong>the</strong>se are adaptations of
<strong>in</strong>struments that are ei<strong>the</strong>r under development or have already flown on o<strong>the</strong>r space
missions. Toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>y <strong>for</strong>m an <strong>in</strong>tegrated package of analysis equipment that
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