Astrobiology Roadmap

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Astrobiology Roadmap
Exploring Earths Extremes WorkshopJuly 24-25,
2001David J. Des MaraisAmes Research
CenterMoffett Field, CA 94035
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Astrobiology Understanding the origins,
evolution and distribution of life in the
universe
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Seeking Additional Examples of Life...

• Determinism
• Do proper environments usually lead to life?
• How might evolution elsewhere resemble our own?
• Diversity
• Is our biosphere a subset of the full diversity
  of life?
• What are the ultimate environmental limits of
  life?
• Definition
• Life is the harnessing of energy to create
  maintain a high density of information in the
  form of complex molecules structures

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Astrobiology Questions
How does life begin and evolve? Does life exist
elsewhere in the universe? What is the future of
life on Earth and beyond?
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Astrobiology Goals

• Understand how life arose on the Earth
• Determine the general principles governing the
  organization of matter into living systems
• Explore how life evolves on the molecular,
  organism, and ecosystem levels
• Determine how the terrestrial biosphere has
  co-evolved with the Earth
• Establish limits for life in environments that
  provide analogs for conditions on other worlds

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Astrobiology Goals (continued)

• Determine what makes a world habitable and how
  frequently habitable worlds are formed
• Determine how to recognize the signature of life
  on other worlds
• Determine whether there is (or once was) life
  elsewhere in our solar system, particularly on
  Mars and Europa
• Determine how ecosystems respond to environmental
  change on time-scales relevant to human life on
  Earth
• Understand the response of terrestrial life to
  conditions in space or on other planets

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Biomarkers/Biosignatures

• An object, substance and/or pattern whose origin
  specifically requires a biological agent
• Astrobiological exploration is founded upon the
  premise that biomarkers encountered beyond Earth
  will be recognizable
• Categories Ecosystem structures textures,
  cellular extracellular morphologies, organic
  compounds, minerals, stable isotope patterns,
  spectra from distant inhabited planets

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Astrobiology Operating Principles

• Astrobiology is fundamentally disciplinary.
• Planetary stewardship via a planetary protection
  program is intrinsic to missions
• A broad societal interest mandates public
  participation in key decisions, e.g., regarding
  extraterrestrial life and novel life forms
• Intrinsically inspiring exploration program
  merits vigorous education and public outreach.

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L. Prufert Bebout
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End