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19 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, supplemental files https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00064, Recent advances in robotic design, autonomy and sensor integration create solutions for the exploration of deep-sea environments, transferable to the oceans of icy moons. Marine platforms do not yet have the mission autonomy capacity of their space counterparts (e.g., the state of the art Mars Perseverance rover mission), although different levels of autonomous navigation and mapping, as well as sampling, are an extant capability. In this setting their increasingly biomimicked designs may allow access to complex environmental scenarios, with novel, highly-integrated life-detecting, oceanographic and geochemical sensor packages. Here, we lay an outlook for the upcoming advances in deep-sea robotics through synergies with space technologies within three major research areas: biomimetic structure and propulsion (including power storage and generation), artificial intelligence and cooperative networks, and life-detecting instrument design. New morphological and material designs, with miniaturized and more diffuse sensor packages, will advance robotic sensing systems. Artificial intelligence algorithms controlling navigation and communications will allow the further development of the behavioral biomimicking by cooperating networks. Solutions will have to be tested within infrastructural networks of cabled observatories, neutrino telescopes, and off-shore industry sites with agendas and modalities that are beyond the scope of our work, but could draw inspiration on the proposed examples for the operational combination of fixed and mobile platforms, This work was developed within the framework of the Research Unit Tecnoterra (ICM-CSIC/UPC) and the following project activities: ARIM (Autonomous Robotic sea-floor Infrastructure for benthopelagic Monitoring; MarTERA ERA-Net Cofound). ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies; German Helmholtz Association). RESBIO (TEC2017-87861-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades). JERICO-S3: (Horizon 2020; Grant Agreement no. 871153). ENDURUNS (Research Grant Agreement H2020-MG-2018-2019-2020 n.824348). We also profited from funding from the Spanish Government through the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S). A portion of this research was also carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Astrobiology is the science that seeks to understand the story of life in our universe. Astrobiology includes investigation of the conditions that are necessary forlife to emerge and flourish, the origin of life, the ways that life has evolved and adaptedto the wide range of environmental conditions here on Earth, the search for life beyondEarth, the habitability of extraterrestrial environments, and consideration of the future oflife both here on Earth and elsewhere. It therefore requires knowledge of physics,chemistry and biology, and many more specialized scientific areas including astronomy,geology, planetary science, microbiology, atmospheric science and oceanography. Fil: Domagal Goldman, Shawn D.. National Aeronautics And Space Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Wright, Katherine. University Of Bristol; Reino Unido Fil: Adamala, Katarzyna. University Of Minnesota; Estados Unidos Fil: Antonio, Marina. Washington State University. School Of Earth & Environmental Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Arino de la Rubia, Leigh. University Of New South Wales; Australia Fil: Carter Bond, Jade. University Of New South Wales; Australia Fil: Dartnell, Lewis. University Of Leicester; Reino Unido Fil: Goldman, Aaron. Oberlin College; Reino Unido Fil: Paulino Lima, Ivan Glaucio. National Aeronautics And Space Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Lynch, Kennda. Colorado School; Estados Unidos Fil: Naud, Marie Eve. Université Du Québec A Montreal; Canadá Fil: Singer, Kelsi. Southwest Research Institute; Estados Unidos Fil: Abrevaya, Ximena Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina Fil: Anderson, Rika. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Arney, Giada. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Atri, Dimitra. International Centre Of Theoretical Science. Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research; España Fil: Azua Bustos, Armando. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile Fil: Bowman, Jeff. Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory; Estados Unidos Fil: Brazelton, William. University of Utah; Estados Unidos Fil: Brennecka, Gregory. Westfalische Wilhelms Universitat; Alemania Fil: Carns, Regina. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Chopra, Adytia. Australian National University; Australia Fil: Collangelo Lillis, Jess. McGill University; Estados Unidos Fil: Crockett, Christopher. University Of Carnegie Mellon; Estados Unidos Fil: DeMarines, Julia. University Of Carnegie Mellon; Estados Unidos Fil: Frank, Elizabeth. University Of Carnegie Mellon; Estados Unidos Fil: Frantz, Carie. University of Washington; Estados Unidos Fil: Galante, Douglas. Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory; Brasil Fil: Glass, Jennifer. Georgia Institute Of Techology; Estados Unidos Fil: Gleeson, Damhait. Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial; España

The possibility of a living Mars is deeply ingrained in popular culture. The observations of the astronomer Percival Lowell, and his interpretation that these canals were built to channel melt-water from the polar regions down to the dying cities and farms huddled around the equator, are well known. Even into the 1960s, textbooks were being published that explained the temporal variation in surface brightness as due to the seasonal spread of vegetation. Martians are the science-fiction writer's alien invader of choice, from the heat-ray-wielding tripods of H.G. Wells to the bulbous-headed aggressors of Tim Burton's 1996 film Mars Attacks. With the armada of robotic probes currently orbiting and roving across the red planet, Mars has never been so forefront in the public eye. Much of this interest is focussed on the possibility that our planetary neighbour has supported an independent genesis of life, and that in certain regions it may remain habitable even to this day. A selection of some of the most recent results and discoveries concerning the astrobiological potential of Mars are discussed.

Primitive photosynthetic microorganisms, either dormant or dead, may remain today on the martian surface, akin to terrestrial cyanobacteria surviving endolithically in martian analog sites on Earth such as the Antarctic Dry Valleys and the Atacama Desert. Potential markers of martian photoautotrophs include the red edge of chlorophyll reflectance spectra or fluorescence emission from systems of light-harvesting pigments. Such biosignatures, however, would be modified and degraded by long-term exposure to ionizing radiation from the unshielded cosmic ray flux onto the martian surface. In this initial study into this issue, three analytical techniques--absorbance, reflectance, and fluorescence spectroscopy--were employed to determine the progression of the radiolytic destruction of cyanobacteria. The pattern of signal loss for chlorophyll reflection and fluorescence from several biomolecules is characterized and quantified after increasing exposures to ionizing gamma radiation. This allows estimation of the degradation rates of cyanobacterial biosignatures on the martian surface and the identification of promising detectable fluorescent break-down products.

The surface of Mars, unshielded by thick atmosphere or global magnetic field, is exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation. This ionizing radiation field is deleterious to the survival of dormant cells or spores and the persistence of molecular biomarkers in the subsurface, and so its characterisation is of prime astrobiological interest. Previous research has attempted to address the question of biomarker persistence by inappropriately using dose profiles weighted specifically for cellular survival. Here, we present modelling results of the unmodified physically absorbed radiation dose as a function of depth through the Martian subsurface. A second major implementation of this dose accumulation rate data is in application of the optically stimulated luminescence technique for dating Martian sediments. We present calculations of the dose-depth profile from galactic cosmic rays in the Martian subsurface for various scenarios: variations of surface composition (dry regolith, ice, layered permafrost), solar minimum and maximum conditions, locations of different elevation (Olympus Mons, Hellas basin, datum altitude), and increasing atmospheric thickness over geological history. We also model the changing composition of the subsurface radiation field with depth compared between Martian locations with different shielding material, determine the relative dose contributions from primaries of different energies, and briefly treat particle deflection by the crustal magnetic fields.

Short Note Desiccation resistance of Antarctic Dry Valley bacteria isolated from contrasting locations LEWIS R. DARTNELL*, DAVID R. FALLAIZE, SAMANTHA J. WHITING and JOHN M. WARD Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK Research Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK *l.dartnell@ucl.ac.uk

Meeting report Earth is the only inhabited planet we know of – so far – but is that the only distinguishing feature of our planet? Dave Waltham and Lewis Dartnell report from an RAS meeting that considered how and why our home planet is unusual.

Lewis Dartnell discusses how extremophiles have pushed the survival envelope of terrestrial life – and what this means for the possibility of extraterrestrial life.