HR: 0800h
AN: P51D-0964    [Abstracts]
TI: Hopping Microbot Access to Subsurface (Cave) and Rugged Terrain on Mars and Hazardous Extreme Earth Astrobiology Sites
AU: * Boston, P J
EM: pboston@nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AU: Dubowsky, S
EM: dubowsky@mit.edu
AF: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 United States
AB: Subsurface microbial communities, biosignatures, and geochemistries as revealed in natural caves and lavatubes on Earth are of relevance to the question of extant and former Martian ecologies (Boston et al., 2001, 2005). Such communities have been postulated for the near and mid-subsurface of Mars (Boston et al., 1992; Fisk & Giavannoni, 1999). Recent NASA and ESA missions are providing imaging evidence of numerous lavatube structures (Boston, 2003). In addition, recent evidence of subsurface water ice layers coupled with MER evidence of extensive evaporates (Boynton et al., 2002; Gellert et al., 2004) lends additional plausibility to possible development of solutional cavities possibly by unique extraterrestrial mechanisms (Boston et al., 2005). Successful robotic access to subsurface and rugged, unpredictable surface terrain must be accomplished to allow exploration of such sites on Mars and even for some extreme Earth sites of astrobiological interest (Dubowsky et al., 2004). We have developed the concept of high energy-density polymer "muscle" actuated hopping spherical microbots that can self-deploy as subsurface networks for sensing, telemetering, and recon. Potential instrumentation suitable for life detection and other analyses have been identified as the project moves into a Phase II stage. Boston, P.J. 2003. Extraterrestrial Caves. Encyclopedia of Cave and Karst Science. Fitzroy-Dearborn Publishers, Ltd., London, UK. Boston, P.J., Ivanov, M.V., and McKay, C.P. 1992. On the possibility of chemosynthetic ecosystems in subsurface habitats on Mars. Icarus 95:300-308. Boston, P.J., Spilde, M.N., Northup, D.E., Melim, L.A., Soroka, D.S., Kleina, L.G., Lavoie, K.H., Hose, L.D., Mallory, L.M., Dahm, C.N., Crossey, L.J., and Schelble, R.T. 2001. Cave biosignature suites: Microbes, minerals and Mars. Astrobiology Journal 1(1):25-55. Boston, P.J., Hose, L.D., Northup, D.E., & Spilde, M.N. 2005. The microbial communities of sulfur caves: A newly appreciated geologically driven system on Earth and potential model for Mars. In, R. Harmon, ed. Karst Geomorphology, Hydrology, & Geochemistry Geol. Soc. Amer. Special Paper. Boynton, W. V, et al. 2002, Distribution of hydrogen in the near-surface of Mars: Evidence for subsurface ice deposits: Science, v. 297, p. 81-85. Dubowsky, S., Iagnemma, K., and Boston, P.J. 2004. Microbots for Large-scale Planetary Surface and Subsurface Exploration. Phase I Final report for NIAC CP. 02-02. http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/dubowsky Fisk, M. R., and Giovannoni, S. J., 1999 Sources of nutrients and energy for a deep biosphere on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 104: 11805-11815 Gellert, R. et al., 2004, Chemistry of rocks and soils in Gusev crater from the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer: Science, v. 305, p. 829-832.
DE: 0406 Astrobiology and extraterrestrial materials
DE: 0448 Geomicrobiology
DE: 0456 Life in extreme environments
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005