Paper Published: Effects of UV-organic interaction and Martian conditions on the survivability of organics

The paper Effects of UV-organic interaction and Martian conditions on the survivability of organics by B. Laurent, C.R. Cousins, M.F.C. Pereira and Z. Martins was published in Icarus.

In this study the role of the attenuation coefficient, as a control for amino acid survivability, was highlighted especially when mineral shielding is limited, or absent and confirmed the real shielding effect of gypsum, nontronite, and olivine. These minerals should be explored further as priority targets for the next life- or organic-detection missions, such as Mars 2020 or ExoMars 2020. We also identify that the dielectric constant appears to be a potential parameter in the ability of minerals to shield organics against photo-degradation, as it encompasses many basic physicochemical properties of surface materials (e.g. pore size, or water content). Overall, organic survivability will be directly influenced by the combined factors of the Martian climate, and local surface temperature and atmospheric opacity variations, which can both hinder and mitigate organic survivability. Further experimental works should done in this direction, taking into account opacity, temperature and mid-UV photons, to ensure the maximum chance of detection of organics for the future space missions.

B. Laurent, C.R. Cousins, M.F.C. Pereira, Z. Martins. 2019. Effects of UV-organic interaction and Martian conditions on the survivability of organics, Icarus, Volume 323, 33-39, doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2019.01.020.