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Mars rover tests of this material into its Sample Maëva Millan at Georgetown different minerals like clay and
Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument. University in Washington DC and sulphates that can better preserve
a new way to SAM has 74 “cups”, or holders, her colleagues found evidence for organic molecules.”
hunt for alien life that are used to analyse samples. organic molecules in the samples That includes further studies on
Most are otherwise empty, with the that would have been missed by the Mars by Curiosity in regions that are
NASA’s Curiosity rover has tested samples in them heated by the rover rover’s heat-based analysis. While more promising in the hunt for life.
a new way of seeking signs of life so they can be studied, but nine these molecules aren’t concrete Its sister rover, Perseverance, is also
on Mars. Although it found no such contain solvents that can dissolve evidence of life, such as amino seeking signs of life, but lacks the
evidence, the trial suggests future materials, which allows us to better acids, the results show the benefits same “wet chemistry” equipment.
missions to other worlds could work out their compositions. The of these so-called wet chemistry The technique will be used
use the same method. test in December 2017 saw some derivatisation experiments on upcoming missions, such
In March 2017, the rover of these solvents used for the first (Nature Astronomy, DOI: 10.1038/ as Europe’s Rosalind Franklin
scooped material from the time, to see whether this technique s41550-021-01507). Mars rover launching in 2022
Bagnold dunes, a band of sand could be useful on other worlds. “We have proved that this and NASA’s Dragonfly, a drone
dunes stretching tens of kilometres The results showed it could. After experiment can work,” says that will explore the surface of
on the Martian surface. In December years of careful work on Earth to Millan. “That means we can do Saturn’s moon Titan in 2036. ❚
2017, Curiosity transferred some understand what they were seeing, this same experiment again on Jonathan O’Callaghan