TY - JOUR
T1 - Subsurface scientific exploration of extraterrestrial environments (MINAR 5)
T2 - Analogue science, technology and education in the Boulby Mine, UK
AU - Cockell, Charles S.
AU - Holt, John
AU - Campbell, Jim
AU - Groseman, Harrison
AU - Josset, Jean-Luc
AU - Bontognali, Tomaso R. R.
AU - Phelps, Audra
AU - Hakobyan, Lilit
AU - Kuretn, Libby
AU - Beattie, Annalea
AU - Blank, Jen
AU - Bonaccorsi, Rosalba
AU - McKay, Christopher
AU - Shirvastava, Anushree
AU - Stoker, Carol
AU - Willson, David
AU - McLaughlin, Scott
AU - Payler, Sam
AU - Stevens, Adam
AU - Wadsworth, Jennifer
AU - Bessone, Loredana
AU - Maurer, Matthias
AU - Sauro, Francesco
AU - Martin-Torres, Javier
AU - Zorzano, Maria-Paz
AU - Bhardwaj, Anshuman
AU - Soria-Salinas, Alvaro
AU - Mathanlal, Thasshwin
AU - Nazarious, Miracle Israel
AU - Ramachandran, Abhilash Vakkada
AU - Vaishampayan, Parag
AU - Guan, Lisa
AU - Perl, Scott M.
AU - Telling, Jon
AU - Boothroyd, Ian M.
AU - Tyson, Ollie
AU - Realff, James
AU - Rowbottom, Joseph
AU - Lauernt, Boris
AU - Gunn, Matt
AU - Shah, Shaily
AU - Singh, Srijan
AU - Paling, Sean
AU - Edwards, Tom
AU - Yeoman, Louise
AU - Meehan, Emma
AU - Toth, Christopher
AU - Scovell, Paul
AU - Suckling, Barbara
N1 - The authors thank the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) for their support of the Boulby Underground Science Facility in which MINAR 5 was conducted. Knowledge gained in the execution of STFC grant, ST/M001261/1, was used to advance objectives in MINAR 5. The authors also thank Cleveland Potash and ICL for their generous in-kind and logistics support to MINAR and the underground science facility with which MINAR is made possible. Boris Laurent is funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant, RPG-2016-071. SPLIT Research and Development has been funded by three research grants
(UKSA CREST and STFC’s Follow on Fund) between 2013 and 2017, with
support in 2018 by CREST to realise a TRL 5 flight type prototype instrument.
Jon Telling (gas analysis development) is funded in part by UK Space Agency
grant ST/R001421/1.
PY - 2019/4
Y1 - 2019/4
N2 - The deep subsurface of other planetary bodies is of special interest for robotic and human exploration. The subsurface provides access to planetary interior processes, thus yielding insights into planetary formation and evolution. On Mars, the subsurface might harbour the most habitable conditions. In the context of human exploration, the subsurface can provide refugia for habitation from extreme surface conditions. We describe the fifth Mine Analogue Research (MINAR 5) programme at 1 km depth in the Boulby Mine, UK in collaboration with Spaceward Bound NASA and the Kalam Centre, India, to test instruments and methods for the robotic and human exploration of deep environments on the Moon and Mars. The geological context in Permian evaporites provides an analogue to evaporitic materials on other planetary bodies such as Mars. A wide range of sample acquisition instruments (NASA drills, Small Planetary Impulse Tool (SPLIT) robotic hammer, universal sampling bags), analytical instruments (Raman spectroscopy, Close-Up Imager, Minion DNA sequencing technology, methane stable isotope analysis, biomolecule and metabolic life detection instruments) and environmental monitoring equipment (passive air particle sampler, particle detectors and environmental monitoring equipment) was deployed in an integrated campaign. Investigations included studying the geochemical signatures of chloride and sulphate evaporitic minerals, testing methods for life detection and planetary protection around human-tended operations, and investigations on the radiation environment of the deep subsurface. The MINAR analogue activity occurs in an active mine, showing how the development of space exploration technology can be used to contribute to addressing immediate Earth-based challenges. During the campaign, in collaboration with European Space Agency (ESA), MINAR was used for astronaut familiarization with future exploration tools and techniques. The campaign was used to develop primary and secondary school and primary to secondary transition curriculum materials on-site during the campaign which was focused on a classroom extra vehicular activity simulation.
AB - The deep subsurface of other planetary bodies is of special interest for robotic and human exploration. The subsurface provides access to planetary interior processes, thus yielding insights into planetary formation and evolution. On Mars, the subsurface might harbour the most habitable conditions. In the context of human exploration, the subsurface can provide refugia for habitation from extreme surface conditions. We describe the fifth Mine Analogue Research (MINAR 5) programme at 1 km depth in the Boulby Mine, UK in collaboration with Spaceward Bound NASA and the Kalam Centre, India, to test instruments and methods for the robotic and human exploration of deep environments on the Moon and Mars. The geological context in Permian evaporites provides an analogue to evaporitic materials on other planetary bodies such as Mars. A wide range of sample acquisition instruments (NASA drills, Small Planetary Impulse Tool (SPLIT) robotic hammer, universal sampling bags), analytical instruments (Raman spectroscopy, Close-Up Imager, Minion DNA sequencing technology, methane stable isotope analysis, biomolecule and metabolic life detection instruments) and environmental monitoring equipment (passive air particle sampler, particle detectors and environmental monitoring equipment) was deployed in an integrated campaign. Investigations included studying the geochemical signatures of chloride and sulphate evaporitic minerals, testing methods for life detection and planetary protection around human-tended operations, and investigations on the radiation environment of the deep subsurface. The MINAR analogue activity occurs in an active mine, showing how the development of space exploration technology can be used to contribute to addressing immediate Earth-based challenges. During the campaign, in collaboration with European Space Agency (ESA), MINAR was used for astronaut familiarization with future exploration tools and techniques. The campaign was used to develop primary and secondary school and primary to secondary transition curriculum materials on-site during the campaign which was focused on a classroom extra vehicular activity simulation.
KW - Analog research
KW - astrobiology
KW - Mars
KW - subsurface
KW - technology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85049312411&partnerID=MN8TOARS
U2 - 10.1017/S1473550418000186
DO - 10.1017/S1473550418000186
M3 - Article
SN - 1473-5504
VL - 18
SP - 157
EP - 182
JO - International Journal of Astrobiology
JF - International Journal of Astrobiology
IS - 2
ER -