STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LABORATORIES 820 MISSION STREET, SOUTH PASADENA, CALIFORNIA Telephone: 759-501 (Area code: 213) Augugi 23, 1962 A BRIEF~-LIFE DETECTION ON OTHER PLANETS Submitted tos National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters Building Washington 25, D.C. Attention: Br. 0.E. Reynolds, Director Biosciences Division COPY LISS GETINSS H r Qo TA SSS ee” STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LABORATORIES 820 MISSION STREET, SOUTH PASADENA, CALIFORNIA Telephone: 790-98:1 (Area code: 213) A BAIEF--LIVE CETECTION ON OTHER PLANETS Ob jective The objegiive of this investigation would be io study, investigate, and demonstrate techniques and instrumentation concepts that could Lead to the construction of an optimum life-detection space capsule package that would have cinimum weight and volume together With maximua operational reliability and accuracy in determining Life on other planetary bodies. Method of Approach in view of the immense gost in materials and technical personnel that is required to place missile loads on other planeis and tne Moon, it is suggested that attention be given to the potential of an analylical and ingirusental study that could result in a maximum amount of critical iife- setection information being obtained from a missile payload which aay ve ianded on a planetary body in the near future. The imaense cost and the low probabliity of success at the present time sucgeat that each migsile payload be optiniszed to provide a waximum number of independent bita of information which can be telemetered from the planetary object Lack io the Barth. From the viewpoint of life detection on digiant planetary bodies, it is suggested that the biological authorities consider the basic experi- menuig that could be performed remotely wiih a high degree of reliability and which could establish tie outlines of a type of Life iat exisis or could exist on a distant planetary bouy. Philosophically we tend to consider that tne world we live in may be somewhat typical of other planetary bodies and, therefore, we consider thar the life sysiem, as we know it, may exist on other planetary bodies. How- ever, it ig conceivable that a life syatem exists in other environments that have characieristics chemically, physically, and biologically differen: from those on Barth. Thus we need to consider what, essentially, is life and what are ihe fundamental measurewenis that describe life, oven though euch Life may not be the type that exists on Earth. While elaborating in cetail many of the experiments that are proposed for Life-deteciion COPY Systems to be landed on other planetary bodies, it may be well for the biological authorities to consider some fundamental experiments that could be conducted simuitaneously or consecutively in a single Llife-cetection package thai would clearly define differences oetween the basic life cycle that may exiat on other planetary bodies and the type of life cycle thet exists on this Karih. It is not the intent of the writer to outline or to detail the type of basic experiments thet should be cone; however, it is his belief, judging from some technical discussions and from the comments in some technical vournals, that the approach proposed herein may provide a somewhat ciffereni, anc slgnificant, viewpoint from which to consider the Llife-deteciion packages that are being cdeasigned and constructed. With the Limitec probability of success that is involved in launching and guiding a space capsule to a distant planetary body, successfully operating the Life-deteciion package remotely on a hard or soft landing, and telemetering the experimenial results back to the Earth, it would be well to consider the fundasental experinenis (necessarily quite limited in number) that can establish the nature of life or lack of lize on a distant planetary body. In an optimization siudy designed to produce a maximum amouni of information on life detection, it is suggested that the biologists list a reasonable number of basic experiwents that would be useful in determining whether life of any type exists on other planetary bodies and whether Life ag wo Know it on this Earth can exist on the planetary body. These lists of proposed basic experimenia slould then be examinad from the viewpoint of the instrumentation that would be required to implemeni the experimenis. The instrumentation analysis shoule include efforts to minimize both the Weight and volume of the experimental equipmeni, to maximise the reliability of the experiwents, and to maximize the simplicity of the telemetered daia that muat be transmitied to tie Earih. I: is obvious tnat the iotal life detection system complex would be no better than any ome of ine links in the system--the quality of the basic nature of the experiment, the reliability of the instrumentation, and tie simplicity of the data that must oe telemetered to the Earth. One of the proposed experiments is ibe sampling of the surface of the planetary body, collecting a small quantity of the planetary surface material, and bringing the material into a microscopic field or into a germination, or growth, chamber. It is intended that any orgenisms in the soil material be allowec to grow in a media vontaining C!4 labeled glucose. If organisnas grow in terme of the Earth's life cysle, they ahould then emit radioactive carbon dioxide. Obviously, other organisma say exist on other planetary bodies tnat do not crow in terms of the Earth’s general life cycle. Institute personnel suggest that the reproductive bodies of plants (spores and seeds) may be founc on other planetary bucies in the goil anc air and te that spores of bacteria, algae, fungi, and the like, together with the Pollen grains of seed plants, could all germinate with water. The spores would swell and the metabolic activity of the cells would be increased. If these spores require a cycle involving oxygen, the rapid increase in oxygen uptake could be detected. All of the spores and seets exigiing in a life cycie siuilar to that on the EBarth would take up oxygen anc evolve carbon dioxide anc water. If these growing organisms were placed in an oxygen 0,34 atmosphere, they should emit COg 8 or 8.088 | The Institute bas developed a guall wase specirometer that might be adapted for the measurement of the evolved carbon cioxide or water. It is not intendec io Suggest that these particular experiments represent an optimum approaci: io the problem of life detection on other planets. These representative experlaents are cited as iypical of the proposed listing of basic measure- mente that shoulc be considered. It ia suggested that consideration be given to an optimization stuay which could lead to a more suitable life~detection package in terme of tie quality of life detection, the reliability of operation on distant planetary bodies, auc ihe simplicity and reliability of unequivocal transmission of daia back to the Earth. It is further suggested that the basic concepis of Life detection initially be selectively tabulated in terme of a relatively gmail ounber of experiments tbat could be operated remotely. These proposed biological experiments should then be examined from the instrumentation viewpoint, broadly considering the instrumentation with the aim of minimiaing weisht and volume of the physical equipment to perform tie experiments and providing relatively simple bits of information, which can be ctelemetered bask to the Barth wiih a high degree of reliability according to informacion theory. It is expected that the study would involve the analytical analysis of the proposed experiments together with sufficient experimental construction to enable the verificatton of the probable performance of the proposed experimental equipment under specified conditions of hard or soft Lancings Ob distant planetary bodies. The life-detection package would give signals taat could be processed, telemetered, and analyzed. Eaoh bii. of inforuation received from the several experiments would be correlated and processed to determine the over-ali validity of the regultis. The muliiplicity of experi ments and bita of information would permit cross-correlation and tend io establish validity of inforwation. Ii is not proposec at this time that Stanford Research Inatitute proceed further than laboratory prototype cor- struction of a life-detection packaze. Qualifications of the Institute Stanford Research Institute can provide an integrated group of bislogical experts together with chemigal and instrumentational experts who doula gonduct the proposed optimization stucy ag a coordinated team. The back- ground of the author's group is in physical chemigiry, instrumentation WSigh, BNC analytical chemistry, particularly as applied to the probieus relatin, to trace concentrations of chemicale. The priuary input of this eroup woulc be in tae reduction of selected biological experiments to an integrated life-detection Lnstrumeni package. The Insiitute's biglogisis would be expected io make valuable laputs during the selection of experi- mente and the Goiiinuai monitoring of tue progress of ibe construction of Gn optimum ingirument package. (The auihor's biography is attacied.) Lt if Guggesied thai ike team operate wiih tue advice of an authority on ihe basic voncepis of living matier. it is proposed that the Institute form tuis team and assume ihe basic responsibilities for the analytical study and the construction of an initial isfe-detection package. Proposed Aotion in the event thai this bried is favorably received, tne Lusiiturce will prepare a formal proposal for the National Agronautics anc Space Administration, Set Foe J.L. Joves Supervisor J. Lealie Jones Br. 2. Leslie Jones, Senior Physical Chemist, is a member of the Instituie's Southern California Laboratories where he is Supervisor of Air Pollution. He received a B.S. degree in chemistry and an M.8. degree in organic chealstiry in 1934 from the University of California at Berkelay. His Ph.D. in physical chemistry was awarded by Stanford University in 1336. Prior to joining the ataff at Stanford Research Institute, Dr. Jones' experience included nine years ag Head of the Propulsion Division of the U.8. Naval Ordnance Test Station in Pasadena. His particular fields of interest include propulsion, alr pollution and related health problens, and physical chemistry. br. Jones has hac 13 papers published, prepared numerous classified reports, and has had 29 patents granted. He is a member of Sigma Xi, Phi Lambda Epsilon, American Chemical Socieiy, Electrochemistry Society, and 48 & Fellow of the American Assogiation for ihe Advancement of Science.