Melissa G. Trainer’s research while affiliated with Johnson Space Center and other places

... However, various space agencies have been investing in technologies for detecting molecules in situ, known as bio-signatures 47 . Advances in mass spectrometry applied to space exploration actively contribute to the development of more robust equipment in terms of sensitivity, resolution, and the ability to analyze molecules of different sizes, making the use of complex organic molecules as bio-signatures a powerful tool for detecting evidence of extraterrestrial life 48,49 . The search for complex molecules as evidence of life beyond Earth turns out to be a very promising approach, as many of these molecules are produced exclusively by biotic processes, such as long-chain unsaturated lipids, polypeptides, and other molecules resulting from secondary metabolism 47 . ...

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Survival strategies of Rhinocladiella similis in perchlorate-rich Mars like environments

... In addition, samples measured by the Pyr-GC-MS instruments on the Mars Viking lander and the Curiosity rover (34, 43, 52) deserve new evaluation. While our method must first be calibrated to the specific thermal ramping and maximum temperature conditions of those instruments, these and other machine-learning methods hold promise for the evaluation of the biogenicity of samples of extraterrestrial provenance before they are returned to Earth (53). Of special interest in this regard is the possible role of environmental chemicals, such as perchlorate on Mars (54), as well as radiationaltered molecular suites (55), which might significantly influence the properties of the resulting molecular mixtures. ...

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A robust, agnostic molecular biosignature based on machine learning

... Understanding the interaction and alteration of organics on these icy worlds is a key scientific objective in both NASA's and ESA's space exploration programs, presenting a unique combination of organic molecules and ice in a radiation environment. The Saturn's moon Titan will be explored by the NASA's Dragonfly mission (Barnes et al. 2021), set to sample the moon's atmosphere and surface composition at different landing sites to assess Titan's potentially prebiotic organic chemistry. While the interpretation of spectroscopic data from the JUNO mission (Bolton et al. 2017) revealed the presence of organics on the surface of Ganymede ), NASA's Europa Clipper (Pappalardo et al. 2024) and ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE, Grasset et al. 2013) are scheduled to reach the Jovian system in 2030 and 2031, respectively, with Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto as their primary targets. ...

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Exploring the formation and alteration of organics in ice: experimental insights for astrochemistry and space missions

... Payload masses for small flyby, probe, and orbital missions are reported in Table 1. Orbiter missions 68 to characterize ionosphere 9,19 plasma 57 and magnetic structure, continue studies of igneous rock geology with remote sensing 63 , improve geodesy 61 , determine trace gas flux and variation 28 , probe the stratigraphy of the upper 10-m subsurface in the mid-latitude ice regions 13,60 , perform global atmospheric observations 50 22 for in-situ measurements of isotopic ratios 43 or to determine the habitability of the cloud layer 42 . Payload masses beyond those reported in Table 1 are enabled through small spacecraft aerocapture 4 capabilities. ...

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Photon-enabled Planetary Small Spacecraft Missions for Planetary Science

... The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) is a dualsource (laser desorption and gas chromatography) massspectrometer that will launch onboard the European Space Agency's ExoMars rover in 2022 to analyze soil samples for signs of past or current life on the surface or subsurface of Mars [49], [50]. However, low bandwidth and high time of interplanetary data transfer will limit the downlink of all raw MOMA-collected data to Earth [50]. ...

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Machine Learning for Mars Exploration

... Finally, these data point towards the idea that similar atmospheric effects exist and could be measured on other planetary bodies with dense atmospheres. For example, if a scintillator detector such as CsI, CLYC, or CeBr 3 were flown on a landed mission to Venus or Titan [27,28], and if the sensors were turned on during descent, these instruments would measure a count-rate profile similar to those reported here for Earth-based measurements. Since the atmospheric altitude of the RP maximum is dependent on atmospheric density, the operation of such an instrument during descent could provide a measure of atmospheric density by just measuring the altitude location of the RP maximum. ...

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Near-space operation of compact CsI, CLYC, and CeBr 3 , sensors: Results from two high-altitude balloon flights

... The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was the first aircraft to fly on another world with a total of 72 flights over its 1.5 year mission, Ref. [1]. The New Frontiers Dragonfly lander is now under development as the next rotorcraft to be launched from Earth and will explore Saturn's largest moon Titan, Ref. [2]. Such rotorcraft explorers enable 2 science campaigns to be conducted across geographically diverse regions and in locations that rovers cannot easily access. ...

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Long-Range Mars Rotorcraft Design Optimization using Machine Learning

... Transient liquid water environments are expected to persist in cryovolcanic flows and impact melt pools 5 (Figure 1) 6,7 for hundreds to possibly tens of thousands of years prior to refreezing. 8−11 Numerous impact craters and several candidate cryovolcanic features have been identified on Titan's surface by the Cassini spacecraft 7,12−15 ( Figure 1); thus, transient surface melts of predominately liquid water have existed on Titan in the past and will occur again. ...

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Understanding Titan’s Prebiotic Chemistry: Synthesizing Amino Acids Through Aminonitrile Alkaline Hydrolysis

... MGS-1 was based on the chemical and mineralogical composition of Rocknest (RN) soil in the Gale crater on Mars that was extensively analyzed by the Curiosity rover [9]. Bish et al. [10] considered that based on Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) chemical analyses, the RN aeolian bedform is representative of global basaltic soil at Gale Crater [5][6][7] and typical of Martian soils [9][10][11]. ...

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Metals extraction on Mars through carbothermic reduction: Mars regolith simulant (MGS-1) characterization and preliminary reduction experiments

... The CB sample used in the OD experiment was drilled in the Sheepbed mudstone on Sol 279 of the mission, and a fresh triple portion (~135 ± 31 mg) was added on top of a previously pyrolyzed CB single portion sample (3,40). This fresh triple portion sample was left inside SAM for about 1,260 sols and accumulated MTBSTFA vapor present in the SMS during the traverse from Yellowknife Bay to the base of Mt. ...

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Long-chain alkanes preserved in a Martian mudstone