McMaster University

Published purpose

Astrobiology is focused on detecting evidence of life beyond the Earth and so answering the age old question ""Are we alone in the Universe?"" Yet, to date there is very limited data from other planets or moons about the presence and distribution of organic molecules. The project aims at developing a simplified, small scale science instrument for the detection and characterization of organic compounds for deployment as a component of space exploration and astrobiology missions such as Mars 2020. Testing the instrument using material that contains organics that are representative of life (e.g. environmental samples) and organics not representative of life (e.g. meteorites) offers insight into the presence and type of organic matter on solar system bodies beyond the Earth.