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29 -- The New Mars: Habitability of a Neighbor World
TWO ORAL SESSIONS
TUESDAY, April 15, 2008: MORNING
The New Mars: Habitability of a Neighbor World: Recent Missions and Discoveries
TUESDAY, April 15, 2008: AFTERNOON
The New Mars: Habitability of a Neighbor World: The Next Steps
Jack Farmer
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ, USA
David Des Marais
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA, USA
Description
Mars is the only other planet in our solar system that appears to have harbored habitable environments similar to those found on Earth. Thus, Mars is a prime target for astrobiological exploration. Recent missions have revealed Mars to be a richly fascinating world with the clear potential for past or present aqueous environments capable of sustaining life. Early Mars had an active hydrological cycle that included atmospheric precipitation, surface run-off and standing bodies of water. With loss of the Martian atmosphere, liquid water habitats were progressively restricted to the subsurface with localized aqueous habitats being sustained by impacts and interactions between subsurface magma, groundwater and ice. The Mars Exploration Rovers and a fleet of orbiters have revealed that liquid water has reacted chemically with the Martian crust to produce a wide variety of aqueous weathering products, including iron oxides, sulfates, clays and silica. With these discoveries, a number of important chemical reactions, including iron and sulfide oxidation, have emerged as potentially important sources of energy for life. The recent reports of methane in the Martian atmosphere suggest that a sustained methane source exists in the subsurface, consistent with the presence of liquid water still being present there today. Alongside these discoveries, terrestrial analog studies have continued to broaden the range of geological environments and energy sources capable of sustaining microbial life. Paleontologial studies have provided new insights about the potential for preserving fossil biosignatures in ancient crustal materials. Such refinements compel us to expand the successful "follow the water" strategy for Mars exploration to include "follow the energy," and "follow the carbon and light elements." This session will provide a broadly-based forum for reviewing results from current missions and other scientific research that bear on the history of Martian habitability, the exploration for past or present Martian life, and emerging strategies to prepare for future human exploration.
ORAL SESSIONS
TUESDAY, April 15, 2008: MORNING
The New Mars: Habitability of a Neighbor World: Recent Missions and Discoveries
9:45 29-14-O. Astrobiology Has Come of Age in Mars Exploration [invited] M. Meyer
10:00 29-08-O. Death by Sulfur: Consequences of Ubiquitous S Before and After the
Biotic Transition, for Mars and Other S-rich Planets [invited] B. Clark
10:15 29-10-O. MER Spirit Assessed Potential Ancient Habitable Environments in Gusev
Crater, Mars D. Des Marais, Athena Science Team
10:30 29-12-O. Siliceous Hydrothermal Deposits on Mars: Exploration Targets for Past
Habitable Environments and Exopaleontology
J. Farmer, S. Ruff, Athena Science Team
10:45 BREAK
11:00 29-16-O. Evidence for a Hydrothermal System Discovered by the Spirit Rover i
n Gusev Crater, Mars [invited] S. Ruff, J.D. Farmer, Athena Science Team
11:15 29-02-O. Evidence for Ancient Hydrothermal Springs on Mars C.C. Allen, D. Oehler
11:30 29-06-O. Talc-carbonate Weathering as a Possible Terrestrial Analog for
Alteration Assemblages in the Nili Fossae Region of Mars A Brown, B.L. Ehlmann,
J.F. Mustard, J.L. Bishop, G.A. Swayze, S.L. Murchie
11:45 29-20-O. Quantitative Determination of the Habitability of Landing Site on Mars:
Application to the Phoenix Mission C. Stoker
TUESDAY, April 15, 2008: AFTERNOON
The New Mars: Habitability of a Neighbor World: The Next Steps
3:15 29-05-O. Mineralogy: The Key to Habitability for Mars Astrobiological Studies
[invited] D. Blake, P. Sarrazin, D. Vaniman, D. Bish, S. Chipera, J. Farmer, D. DesMarais,
A. Treiman, D. Ming, D. Morris
3:30 29-21-O. Follow the Energy: A Thermodynamic Approach to Addressing the
Habitability of Meridiani Planum, Mars L. Tierney, B.M. Jakosky
3;45 29-22-O. Geochemistry of the Deep “Cool” Biosphere of Precambrian Shield
Fracture Waters: Terrestrial Analogues for Subsurface Environments on Mars
K. Voglesonger, J. Moran, S. Tille, L.-H. Lin, M.Davidson, T.C. Onstott, L.M. Pratt,
E.A. Edwards, G.F. Slater, B. Sherwood Lollar
4:00 29-13-O. Evolution of Mars Surface Environments under Acidic Conditions
[invited] D. Fernandez-Remolar, R.E Arvidson, R.V. Morris, L. Friedlander, R. Amils,
O. Prieto-Ballesteros, F. Gomez, D. Gomez Ortiz
4:15 BREAK
4;30 29-19-O. Abiotic Carbon Synthesis on Mars [invited] A. Steele, M. Fries, H.
Amundsen, B. Mysen, N. Boctor, M. Fogel, M. Schweizer
4:45 29-11-O. Preservation of Reduced Carbon on Mars: Implications for
Understanding Habitability J. Eigenbrode, P. Conrad, M. Fogel, P. Mahaffy, A. Steele,
R. Summons
5:00 29-15-O. Absolute Measurements of Methane on Mars: The Current Status
invited] M. Mumma, G. Villanueva, R. Novak, T. Hewagama, B.P. Bonev, M.A. DiSanti,
M.D. Smith
5:15 29-04-O. Is Nitrogen in Martian Soil Sampled by the Martian Meteorites?
A. Banin, C. Lin, R.L. Mancinelli
POSTERS
29-01-P. Correlation of Regional Topography and Martian Gully Orientation
T. Allen, M.B.Wilhelm, J. Heldmann, S. Allen
29-03-P. UV Photolysis of Putative Martian Organics: Identifying Potential Complex
Surface Organics for Upcoming Missions
P.D. Archer Jr., H. Imanaka, M.A. Smith, P.H. Smith
29-07-P. Very Low-temperature Aqueous Fluids on Mars V. Chevrier, T. Altheide
29-09-P. Rock Target Selection for Habitability Assessment: "Follow The Fill-in-the-Blank"
P. Conrad, M.L. Fogel, J.L. Eigenbrode, A. Steele, P.R. Mahaffy
29-17-P. A Biomarker for the Hydrogen Peroxide-Water Hypothesis for Life on Mars and its
Possible Detection by the TEGA instrument on the Phoenix Lander
D. Schulze-Makuch, C. Turse, J. Houtkooper, C. McKay
29-18-P. Scaling Relationships of Martian Valley Networks: Implications for the Evolution
of Surface Habitability S. Som, D. Montgomery