The Signs Of Life Detector (SOLID) instrument concept for

planetary exploration

Victor Parro

Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón deArdoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain

RIA-SpaceTec: Instrumentación astronómica en España, CSIC, 2018

2

0379 ky75% H

200 My1000 MyElements, molecules, and first exoplanets

9500 MyComplex chemistry

Origin and evolution of life

10000 MyDiversity of Planetary systems and environments

Controversial deffinitions of life. A “consensus” “Life is a self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution”

Ruiz-Mirazo et al Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 285−366

Three essential components

Darwinian evolution

How to identify life or signs of life?

Biology mediated Constructs

Through Biochemistry

Preserved Biomarkers

We know they are biomarkers because we know them very well.

Direct visualization

Modified from Parro and Muñoz-Caro 2009

Biochemistry: the low energy, non-covalent bonding kingdom

Antibodies are big molecules (150 kDa) that can be modified (fluorescent labeling) without affecting their binding specificities

9 nm

Hsieh-Wilson et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A.93, 5363 (1996)

Bioaffinity: Immunological assays

The search for life using life properties: the bio-affinity recognition of biological structures

LDChip

Multiplex Fluorescent Sandwich Microarray Immunoassay

From Dirt

To Data

Biochemical evidences of life in planetary exploration

McKay and Parro (2014) Sci Am.

Biochemical targets

Structure: Polysaccharides

Structure and metabolism: Proteíns

Information: Nucleic Acids (NA)

Structure: Lípids and LPS

Betaproteobacteria

Gammaproteobacteria

Alphaproteobacteria

Nitrospira

Actinobacteria

Deinococcus-Thermus

Firmicutes (G+ Low GC)

Cyanobacteria

Aquificae

Archaea

BacteroidetesEpsilonproteobacteriaDeltaproteobacteria

ThermotogaePlanctomycetes

VerrucomicrobiumAcidobacterium

A collection of more than 450 Abs: The main phylogenetic groups of prokaryotes are

represented in LDChip (Life Detector Chip)

Several metabolisms are coverered

Abs to proteins from key, ancient and well evolutively conserved metabolisms

Nitrogen Fixation, Methanogenesys, Iron oxidation, Iron reduction, Iron storage,

Sulphur uptake, S reduction, Nitrate/Nitrite/Perchlorate reduction/

Hydrogenases, Photosynthesis, Chaperones, ATPases

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

BH10_413_3

LDCHip is a powerful tool for detecting microbial life in terrestrial analogues: Detecting cyanobacteria at 413 m depth in the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Puente-Sánchez et al. 2018, PNAS

Viable cyanobacteria in the deepcontinental subsurface of Iberian Pyrite Belt

Puente-Sánchez et al., 2018, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1808176115

420 m 607 m

SOLID3: TWO SEPARATED FUNTIONAL UNITSSPU

SAU

SPU

SAU

Parro, V. et al . (2011) Astrobiology 11, 29-54.

Functional diagrams of SPU and SAU

Parro, V. et al . (2011) Astrobiology 11, 29-54.

Testing the SOLID3 signal readout module

Parro, V. et al . (2011) Astrobiology 11, 29-54.

Full

CCD

imag

e12

0 um

sp

ots

Quantification

0

4000

8000

12000

16000

20000

Hallo

thiob

acillu

s sp

Desu

lfota

lea

spDI_ext2&3

A.th

ioox

idan

s

Paen

ibacil

lussp Pseudomonas sp FControl

SOLID 3.1 SPU: TRL 5-6 SPU Re-utilizable

FLUÍDICA EN TITANIO SINTERIZADO

Tested under relevant Marsenvironment

De Diego Castilla et al., 2011, Astrobiology

Rela

tive

fluor

esce

nce

(%)

EFFECT OF THE IONIZING RADIATION ON THE IMMUNOASSAY COMPONENTS

g, e-, p

3 M

48 M

SOLID’S TARGET MOLECULES SURVIVE COSMIC RADIATION 1-10 MYLineal Model

Blanco et al., 2018, Astrobiology

Recent (<10 My) Obliquity changes

have allowed higher insolation from the

Sun, Warmer summers and

higher atmospheric humidity

McKay et al., IceBreaker, 2014

Phoenix site is safe for landing

IceBreaker Payload Deck

Acidithiobacillus sp

1

2

3

456

7

SOLID coupled to NASA-Ames robotic drilling platform. LMAP2017 in Rio Tinto.

Life-Detection Mars Analog Project (LMAP)Lead by Brian Glass

Integración de SOLID en IceBreaker

ARADS in Atacama: SOLID integration on a rover in 2018

SOLID-LDChip to help in human exploration

Method Instrumentation Sample Target Size Reference

Heating and

Pyrolysis

GC-MS

/Viking, Cassini-

Huygens, SAM

(MSL)

Volatiles

Elemental,

gases, PAHs,

aliphatic

hydrocarbons,

etc

Elemental

to 500 Da

[12-220

(Viking)

2-146

(Cassini)]

Novotny et al., 1975

(Viking); Niemann

et al., 2005

(Cassini)

Water /solvent

extraction +

volatilization

Capillary

electrophoresis

/Urey

Volatiles/extr

acts

Aa,

nucleobases,

PAHs, etc.

Up to 500-

600 DaAubrey et al., 2008

SpectrometricIR, Raman

Spectrometers

Solid

surfaces

Chemical

bonds,

pigments, etc

AnyEdwards et al.,

2003

Laser

desorption

Laser Desorption

LD-MS

/MOMA

Desorb

neutral and

ionized

molecules

Oligo and

small polymers

500 to

2000 Da

Evans-Nguyen et

al., 2008

Laser

desorption

Laser Desorption

Time of Flight TOF-

MS

Ionized

molecules

Oligo and

small polymers

500 to

5000 DaTodd et al., 2007

Bioaffinity

Ab microarrays

/SOLID

Liquid

suspension

From aa, nt,

to whole cells

100 Da to

kDa.

Parro et al., 2005;

Fernandez-Calvo et

al., 2006

Microscopic

structuresMicroscope Imager

Solid

surfaces

Micro-

structures

Cells,

colonies,

etc

Pullan et al., 2008

Instrumentation for organics and/or life detection

Es como llevar un pequeño sistema inmunológico y preguntar ¿Hay algún alérgeno?

The SOLID People

Centro de Astrobiología• Biology

– Victor Parro– Mercedes Moreno– Yolanda Blanco– Luis A Rivas– Graciela de Diego-Castilla– Miriam García-Villadangos– Ignacio Gallardo-Carreño

• Engineering– Javier Gómez-Elvira– Juan M. Manchado– Jose A. Rodríguez-Manfredi– Eduardo Sebastián– Javier Martín– Julio Romeral– Josefina Torres

• Geology and Planetary Exploration– Olga Prieto-Ballesteros– Alberto G. Fairén

INDUSTRY (Engineering)• SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas S.A.

– Carlos Compostizo– Pedro L. Herrero– Adolfo García Marín

• International Collaborations– Chris Mckay (NASA-Ames)– Carol Stoker (NASA-Ames)– Brian Glass (NASA-Ames)– Lyle Whyte (McGill Univ., Canada)– Alfonso Davila (SETI Institute)– Dr. Mary Sceweitzer (North Carolina

University)– Esta van Heerden (University of

Free State, Southafrica– Cecilia Demergasso, Universidad

Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile

– John Coates (Berkely Univ.)