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Thresholds of Detection and Identification of Halite Nodule Habitats in the Atacama Desert Using Remote ImagingThe guiding theme of Mars exploration is shifting from global and regional habitability assessment to biosignature detection. To locate features likely to contain biosignatures, it is useful to focus on the reliable identification of specific habitats with high biosignature preservation potential. Proposed chloride deposits on Mars may represent evaporitic environments conducive to the preservation of biosignatures. Analogous chloride- bearing, salt-encrusted playas (salars) are a habitat for life in the driest parts of the Atacama Desert, and are also environments with a taphonomic window. The specific geologic features that harbor and preserve microorganisms in Atacama salars are sub- meter to meter scale salt protuberances, or halite nodules. This study focuses on the ability to recognize and map halite nodules using images acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at spatial resolutions ranging from mm/pixel to that of the highest resolution orbital images available for Mars.
Document ID
20180001988
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Phillips, M. S.
(Tennessee Univ. Knoxville, TN, United States)
Moersch, J. E.
(Tennessee Univ. Knoxville, TN, United States)
Cabrol, N. A.
(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Inst. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Davila, A. F.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
March 21, 2018
Publication Date
March 19, 2018
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
ARC-E-DAA-TN51618
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 19, 2018
End Date: March 23, 2018
Sponsors: Universities Space Research Association
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNN12AA01C
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNA15BB01A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
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