Martin Derek, Cockell Charles S
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, UK .
Astrobiology. 2015 Feb;15(2):111-8. doi: 10.1089/ast.2014.1240. Epub 2015 Feb 4.
Investigations of other planetary bodies, including Mars and icy moons such as Enceladus and Europa, show that they may have hosted aqueous environments in the past and may do so even today. Therefore, a major challenge in astrobiology is to build facilities that will allow us to study the geochemistry and habitability of these extraterrestrial environments. Here, we describe a simulation facility (PELS: Planetary Environmental Liquid Simulator) with the capability for liquid input and output that allows for the study of such environments. The facility, containing six separate sample vessels, allows for statistical replication of samples. Control of pressure, gas composition, UV irradiation conditions, and temperature allows for the precise replication of aqueous conditions, including subzero brines under martian atmospheric conditions. A sample acquisition system allows for the collection of both liquid and solid samples from within the chamber without breaking the atmospheric conditions, enabling detailed studies of the geochemical evolution and habitability of past and present extraterrestrial environments. The facility we describe represents a new frontier in planetary simulation-continuous flow-through simulation of extraterrestrial aqueous environments.
对包括火星以及土卫二和木卫二这类冰卫星在内的其他行星体的研究表明，它们过去可能存在过水相环境，甚至如今也可能如此。因此，天体生物学面临的一项重大挑战是建造相关设施，使我们能够研究这些外星环境的地球化学特征和宜居性。在此，我们介绍一种具有液体输入和输出能力的模拟设施（PELS：行星环境液体模拟器），它可用于研究此类环境。该设施包含六个独立的样品容器，能够对样品进行统计复制。通过控制压力、气体成分、紫外线照射条件和温度，可以精确复制水相条件，包括火星大气条件下的零下盐水。一个样品采集系统能够在不破坏大气条件的情况下，从实验室内采集液体和固体样品，从而对过去和现在外星环境的地球化学演化及宜居性进行详细研究。我们所描述的该设施代表了行星模拟的一个新前沿——对外星水相环境进行连续流通模拟。
