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Abstract EANA2025-158


Project AnoxyMars: survivability and detectability of anoxygenic microorganisms in support of the ExoMars misson

Mariano Battistuzzi (1), Andrew Alberini (1,2), Sole Biancalani (1,3,4,5), Cristina García Florentino (1), Giovanni Poggiali (1), Teresa Fornaro (1) and John R. Brucato (1)
(1) INAF- Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Italy, (2) Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Italy, (3) Department of Physics, University of Trento, Italy, (4) Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy, (5) Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy


The European Space Agency (ESA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ExoMars mission [1], targeting a 2028 launch, will land at Oxia Planum. This site, comprising a portion of a fluvial-deltaic sedimentary system formed during the late Noachian/Early Hesperian, is rich in clay minerals, known for their capacity to preserve biosignatures. Evidence suggests the area was once submerged, forming a delta fan with hydrated silica-bearing deposits. Critically, early Amazonian volcanic deposits subsequently covered and protected these older sediments, potentially shielding preserved biosignatures from surface radiation. Recent erosion is now gradually exposing these ancient sedimentary rocks to the Martian radiative environment [2]. This makes Oxia Planum an ideal location to search for well-preserved organic compounds, putative microorganisms, or their degradation products.

The AnoxyMars project will directly support the ExoMars mission by investigating the detectability of diverse anoxygenic microorganisms (both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic) by the Rosalind Franklin rover's payload, after systematically exposing these organisms to ionizing and UV radiation to simulate the Martian surface and subsurface conditions that the rover will be able to probe. Our selected microorganisms represent metabolisms that existed during Earth's Archean eon, prior to oxygenic photosynthesis, and similarly could represent analogous early Martian life forms. These taxa are sourced from anoxic marine, lacustrine, palustrine, and freshwater habitats, aligning with the paleoenvironments proposed for Oxia Planum.

This presentation will provide an overview of the AnoxyMars project, highlighting its direct relevance to the ExoMars mission. We will detail the experimental methodology and the types of data we expect to obtain. Our findings will directly inform the Rosalind Franklin rover science team on which biosignatures could be expected at various probing depths. This crucial information will significantly enhance the mission's ability to detect traces of extinct (or potentially extant) life on Mars.

[1] J.L. Vago, A.J. Coates, R. Jaumann, O. Korablev, V. Ciarletti, I. Mitrofanov, J.L. Josset, et al,  From Habitability to Life on Mars, 309-347 (2018)

[2] C. Quantin-Nataf, J. Carter, L. Mandon, P. Thollot, M. Balme, M. Volat, L. Pan, et al., Astrobiology, 21, (3): 345–66 (2021)