Scientists have developed a laser-based device that could be installed on a future Mars rover as a tool for finding signs of former life on the Red Planet.
The University of Bern team has developed a miniature, laser-powered mass spectrometer that can analyse the chemical composition of a rock sample in detail as fine as a micrometre (one-thousandth of a millimetre).
The tool has already been used to sample gypsum from a quarry in Algeria in an attempt to replicate the kind of materials and conditions that might be experienced on Mars. The team analysed the rock using the tool to understand its ability to distinguish between potential microbial fossils and natural rock formations. These include morphology – which is irregular, sinuous and potentially hollow – as well as the presence of chemical elements necessary for life, carbonaceous material and minerals such as clay or dolomite, which can be influenced by the presence of bacteria.
“Gypsum has been widely detected on the Martian surface...