Mars Crater Cyanobacterium Experiment 1

Determining if Mars Craters Could Foster Microorganic Life Forms Such as Algae

Ziqiu Feng

Columbine High School

AP Research

Samuel Daly

Date 12/1/2021
Mars Crater Cyanobacterium Experiment 2

ABSTRACT

As planet Earth becomes exponentially more crowded with every passing generation, it

could usher in a new age where mankind starts to look for potential refuge beyond our

atmosphere. There are no other observable planets in our solar system such as Mars, in terms of

availability and demographical similarities. In fact, scientists already have begun speculating and

gathering information using autonomous terrestrial rovers on the surface of Mars. While it’s been

proven that Mars’s atmosphere would be too extreme for most organisms known to exist, and

most certainly unsuitable for any humans to live in without sophisticated protection equipment,

the possibility of microbial life growing under its extreme conditions still seeps through the

barrier of feasibility. Yet, all that the red planet has to offer doesn’t just include barren

wastelands of oxidized iron as seen on the surface, it is home to a wide range of quartz minerals,

silicon and polar ice caps; perhaps the most intriguing spots where minerals are found would be

inside craters left by impacts of meteors that have entered the thin atmosphere, Researchers from

France, Spain and the United States have found evidence of clay minerals that suggests Mars

may have been habitable once upon a time. (CORDIS 2021) From analyzing remains of similar

meteorites collected on Earth, and satellite imagery of Mars’s craters, it is estimated that martian

craters could possess vital minerals necessary for the growth of life such as Carbon, phosphorus,

and hydro infused salts. The composition of martial soil, especially within mineral enriched

craters could prove to be a great leeway in creating a habitable environment for microorganisms

such as algae. The assumption is that given a variety of resources for bacterial and protist

growth, a once barren geological location could thrive with at least the most primal life forms,

while algae is especially important for transforming the atmosphere due to their photosynthetic

abilities. However, geological composition is not the only factor that contributes to creating a
Mars Crater Cyanobacterium Experiment 3

thriving ecosystem, environmental properties such as air pressure, atmospheric composition,

radiation levels and temperature also play large roles in developing any leads for microbial

growth. Which leads to the major question: Can simple microorganisms such as algae survive in

Martian craters given enough hydration and essential minerals? On a more specific scale, one of

the largest Martian craters named Korolev contains a mile deep sheet of ice that could be home

to a species of extremophilic algae.

Gap In The Research

The attempt to create conditions suitable for a living organism on a planet far away from

most of our reach could prove to be a very challenging plan. Not only do the requirements and

criteria for specimen survival need to be heavily reinforced, the execution would be even more

costly. Rocket and spacecraft trajectories require careful and sophisticated calculations, over

months of equipment testing. The most survivable species of algae could opt in for being

candidates, but it is ultimately uncertain whether or not a future harvesting operation would be

successful, as it depends on the survival of specimens. The prohibition of interspatial

contamination would also come in as an obstacle, in order to prevent biohazards to any possible

Martian life forms that could be discovered in the future.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Findings from NASA have brought new light onto the geology of Mars, with their most

recent Rover name Perseverance, launched in 2020, many pictures were taken by the

autonomous terrestrial rovers, and sent back to HQ. From the collection of images taken as the

rovers traverse its surface, scientists were able to map out most of Mars’s previously uncharted

landscape. One of the most huge findings was the existence of water on Mars, mostly in the form

of polar ice caps, but studies find that the subsurface of Mars could contain more amounts of ice
Mars Crater Cyanobacterium Experiment 4

or even liquid water (McKim & Richard. 2016.) The discovery of water on Mars led many to

believe that Mars was once an inhabitable planet suitable for lifeforms, but due to its atmospheric

loss, as in its air floated into outer space, Mars now has a very thin and extremely low pressure

atmosphere. Any forms of liquid are not able to exist on the surface of Mars under the low air

pressure, as they would instantly evaporate into the air, or condense into ice.

Mars Craters

Despite the fact that most of Mars is covered in a thick layer of iron oxide which taints

the planet in a reddish orange hue, the planet does have many craters that have formed by meteor

impacts in its history. With the meteorites that have crash landed on its surface, came with

minerals from outer space, carried by the asteroids themselves. Most of the meteorites found in

Mars craters were analyzed and estimated to contain essential minerals such as phosphorus and

sodium, but most importantly, water. Perhaps the largest and most notable crater is the Korolev

crater, located near the planet’s north pole. The Korolev crater measures about 81.4 kilometers in

diameter, up to 1.8 kilometers deep and contains between 1,400 and 3,500 km3 of pure water ice

(Howard et al., 1932; Malin and Edget, 2001; Phillips et al., 2008; Grima et al., 2009). Studies

have found that his ice formed mostly through deposition (Holt et al., 2010; Smith and Hold,

2010; Brothers et al., 2013; Smit et al., 2013), the process of water vapor freezing and being

deposited on top of previously frozen ice. The Korolev crater’s sheer size and the amount of

water contained could prove to be a potential candidate for the growth of micro organic life

forms, and even small extremophilic ecosystems. Not only can the height of its outer rings

provide shelter for frequent sandstorms created by Mars’s weathering patterns, the thick sheet of

ice may contain pure liquid water underneath, which continuously hydrates the soil. However, it
Mars Crater Cyanobacterium Experiment 5

does come with issues such as its raging cold temperatures, which will inevitably limit the

growth of any organisms that are seeded there.

Capability of Algae Survival

It has already been proven that organisms like Algae have survived in extreme conditions

posed by the cold bearing environments of Antarctica, or very damp and saline solutions such as

seawater. In fact, Algae samples have survived in exposure to outer space, outside the hulls of

the International Space Station (ISS). Two Algae samples have survived 16 months in exposure

to the vacuum of space, fluctuating temperatures, constant UV and cosmic radiation

(Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft & Thomas Leya. 2017). Given the hardness of cyanobacterium such as

algae, it can most likely be assumed that such samples could survive on the surface of Mars with

similar extreme conditions such as low air pressure, due to its atmosphere’s low integrity, and

strong UV radiation from the sunlight, since Mars has no magnetic field and a weak atmosphere

composed of 95% carbon dioxide.

References

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