Project: Successful development of a simple life detection method for Mars return samples

Research Overview:

A research group led by Associate Professor Yohei Suzuki of the Graduate School of Science at the University of Tokyo and members of the International Commission on Space and Astronautical Research (COSPAR) Working Group for the Development of Safety Assessment Protocols for Mars Return Sample (SSAP) have improved the safety assessment system released by the Working Group in 2022. The reason for the improvement is that there is a very high possibility of detecting traces of Martian life at the site of contact between rock and water, but the formation of clay interferes with the acquisition of signals of life traces. Therefore, the research group tested various analytical methods using clay-containing areas of basalt on Earth, where the group had found microbial life. As a result, they succeeded in simultaneous detection of clay and microorganisms by infrared irradiation. In the future, the applicability of analytical methods will be evaluated using Earth rocks similar to the Mars return sample, which is expected to dramatically improve the technology for detecting Martian life.

（Quoted from arelease by the University of Tokyo）

Please refer to the University of Tokyo releasefor details.