DLR PASLAB recreates such as the DLR MSF Lab the planet Mars and in addition other planetary environmental conditions with reference to exoplanets by a controlled gas mixing system mixing up to 5 gases (e.g. CO2/N2/Ar, or H2/CH4/O2) with H2O, with a resulting pressure of 6 – 10 mbar(Mars) and up to 1 bar (Early and Present Earth-like conditions) over e.g. two different Mars analogue regolith mixtures, P-MRS, S-MRS. The facility allows computer controlled diurnal cycles of radiation (190 nm – 2200 nm), humidity (rh % 0 to 100) and temperature (-70°C to 130°C). The key characteristics of this Laboratory Facility are: • The ability to accommodate, prepare and test biological samples and space relevant sensors under Martian-like and exo-planet conditions. • In situ measurements and data collection of photosynthesis • Use of gases with isotopic markers • Switch from a controlled closed to a volume flow gas humidity system Tests on microorganisms, minerals and on humidity and temperature sensor instrumentation under Planetary and Martian environments can be performed. The current upgrade of a planetary simulation chamber in contrast to the Mars simulation chamber in the MSF allows the exposure of biological and non-biological samples to exo-planetary conditions around M-dwarf stars (e.g. radiation and differing atmosphere). The upgrade also allows measurements of metabolic activities, such as those observed in the methane production by methanogens and other metabolically caused gas exchange such as CO2 uptake and O2 release during photosynthesis using a mass spectrometer.
Contact Name: Jean-Pierre de Vera
Institution Name: DLR
Institution Address: Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin
Contact email address: jean-pierre.devera@dlr.de
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.
This project partecipates to the Transnational Access (TA) and in the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) framework.