Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
Astrobiology. 2010 Sep;10(7):687-703. doi: 10.1089/ast.2010.0491.
The primary objective of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which will launch in 2011, is to characterize the habitability of a site on Mars through detailed analyses of the composition and geological context of surface materials. Within the framework of established mission goals, we have evaluated the value of a possible landing site in the Mawrth Vallis region of Mars that is targeted directly on some of the most geologically and astrobiologically enticing materials in the Solar System. The area around Mawrth Vallis contains a vast (>1 × 10⁶ km²) deposit of phyllosilicate-rich, ancient, layered rocks. A thick (>150 m) stratigraphic section that exhibits spectral evidence for nontronite, montmorillonite, amorphous silica, kaolinite, saponite, other smectite clay minerals, ferrous mica, and sulfate minerals indicates a rich geological history that may have included multiple aqueous environments. Because phyllosilicates are strong indicators of ancient aqueous activity, and the preservation potential of biosignatures within sedimentary clay deposits is high, martian phyllosilicate deposits are desirable astrobiological targets. The proposed MSL landing site at Mawrth Vallis is located directly on the largest and most phyllosilicate-rich deposit on Mars and is therefore an excellent place to explore for evidence of life or habitability.
美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的火星科学实验室（MSL）任务将于 2011 年发射，其主要目标是通过对火星表面物质的成分和地质背景进行详细分析，来确定火星的宜居性。在既定任务目标的框架内，我们评估了在火星马沃斯峡谷地区选择一个可能的着陆点的价值，该着陆点直接针对太阳系中一些最具地质和天体生物学吸引力的物质。马沃斯峡谷周围地区含有大量（>1×10⁶km²）富层状硅酸盐的古老岩石。一个厚厚的（>150m）地层剖面显示出非皂石、蒙脱石、无定形二氧化硅、高岭石、皂石、其他蒙脱石粘土矿物、亚铁云母和硫酸盐矿物的光谱证据，表明这里可能存在着丰富的地质历史，包括多个水相环境。由于层状硅酸盐是古代水活动的强烈指示物，并且沉积粘土矿床中生物特征的保存潜力很高，因此火星层状硅酸盐矿床是天体生物学的理想目标。MSL 任务在马沃斯峡谷的拟议着陆点位于火星上最大、最富层状硅酸盐的矿床上，因此是探索生命或宜居性证据的绝佳地点。
