Finding E.T.: Developing Detectors for Biochemical Complexities

As the prospect of venturing space has progressed through the years, a tool to detect alien life called the Complex Molecules Detector or simply CMOLD has been developed, overcoming a challenge in planetary exploration by allowing robotics landers to conduct life identification.

European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin rover having the Raman spectrometer, a component of the CMOLD, to be launched to Mars in 2022. Photo from European Space Agency

Alberto G. Fairén and his colleagues, researchers based in the Centro de Astrobiología in Madrid, Spain, have developed a fluid-based instrument suite to detect (bio)chemical complexity in Mars and icy moons. Their paper is outlined and published in the science journal, Astrobiology.

The CMOLD follows a chemically general approach when it comes to detection. It extracts organic compounds, distributes them into a liquid suspension, and analyzes the sample through three analytical technologies: (1) a microscope to identify cell structure and morphologies, (2) a Raman spectrometer to detect intramolecular complexity and biochemical functionality, and (3) a biomarker detector including antibodies and genetic material that captures life and non-life molecular structures.

Previous instruments like the Viking landers, Curiosity rover, and current MSL Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) use gas chromatography and mass spectrometers to identify organic signatures but only through volatile compounds.

On the other hand, The CMOLD uses a novel and timely technique that revolutionizes life detection by covering a wide spectrum of targets including biopolymers, macromolecules, supra-molecular complexes, and cell-like morphologies

To test if the instruments are flight-ready, the Raman spectrometer has been included in the science payload of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosalind Franklin rover to be launched in 2022 while the biomarkers detector are included for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Icebreaker lander mission proposal.

The development of the CMOLD is timed with planned planetary exploration missions to Mars (Mars 2020 and ExoMars 2022) as well as to Jupiter's and Saturn's icy moons (Europa, Enceladus, Titan).