The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) Instrument: Characterization of Organic Material in Martian Sediments

Fred Goesmann; William B Brinckerhoff; François Raulin; Walter Goetz; Ryan M Danell; Stephanie A Getty; Sandra Siljeström; Helge Mißbach; Harald Steininger; Ricardo D Arevalo Jr; Arnaud Buch; Caroline Freissinet; Andrej Grubisic; Uwe J Meierhenrich; Veronica T Pinnick; Fabien Stalport; Cyril Szopa; Jorge L Vago; Robert Lindner; Mitchell D Schulte; John Robert Brucato; Daniel P Glavin; Noel Grand; Xiang Li; Friso H W van Amerom

doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1551

The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) Instrument: Characterization of Organic Material in Martian Sediments

Astrobiology. 2017 Jul 1;17(6-7):655-685. doi: 10.1089/ast.2016.1551.

Authors

Fred Goesmann¹, William B Brinckerhoff², François Raulin³, Walter Goetz¹, Ryan M Danell⁴, Stephanie A Getty², Sandra Siljeström⁵, Helge Mißbach¹, Harald Steininger¹, Ricardo D Arevalo Jr², Arnaud Buch⁶, Caroline Freissinet⁷, Andrej Grubisic^{8

2}, Uwe J Meierhenrich⁹, Veronica T Pinnick², Fabien Stalport³, Cyril Szopa^{7

10}, Jorge L Vago¹¹, Robert Lindner¹¹, Mitchell D Schulte¹², John Robert Brucato¹³, Daniel P Glavin², Noel Grand³, Xiang Li^{14

2}, Friso H W van Amerom¹⁵

Affiliations

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Göttingen, Germany.
² NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
³ LISA, U. Paris-Est, Créteil, U. Paris Diderot, Paris, CNRS, France.
⁴ Danell Consulting, Winterville, North Carolina, USA.
⁵ RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Bioscience and Materials/Chemistry and Materials, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁶ LPGM, CentraleParis, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
⁷ LATMOS/IPSL, Guyancourt, France.
⁸ University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
⁹ Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Nice cedex, France.
¹⁰ Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France.
¹¹ ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
¹² NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA.
¹³ INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Firenze, Italy.
¹⁴ University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
¹⁵ Mini-Mass Consulting, Hyattsville, Maryland, USA.

Abstract

The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover (to launch in July, 2020) will analyze volatile and refractory organic compounds in martian surface and subsurface sediments. In this study, we describe the design, current status of development, and analytical capabilities of the instrument. Data acquired on preliminary MOMA flight-like hardware and experimental setups are also presented, illustrating their contribution to the overall science return of the mission. Key Words: Mars-Mass spectrometry-Life detection-Planetary instrumentation. Astrobiology 17, 655-685.