Correlation Network Analysis for Amino Acid Identification in Soil Samples With the ORIGIN Space-Prototype Instrument

Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, vol. 9

Abstract

The detection of biomolecules on Solar System bodies can help us to understand how life emerged on Earth and how life may be distributed in our Solar System. However, the detection of chemical signatures of life on planets or their moons is challenging. A variety of parameters must be considered, such as a suited landing site location, geological and environmental processes favourable to life, life detection strategies, and the application of appropriate and sensitive instrumentation. In this contribution, recent results obtained using our novel laser desorption mass spectrometer ORganics INformation Gathering Instrument (ORIGIN), an instrument designed for in situ space exploration, are presented. We focus in this paper on the detection and identification of amino acid extracts from a natural permafrost sample, as well as in an analogue mixture of soils and amino acids. The resulting dataset was analysed using a correlation network analysis method. Based on mass spectrometric correlation, amino acid signatures were separated from soil signatures, identifying chemically different molecular components in complex samples. The presented analysis method represents an alternative to the typically applied spectra-by-spectra analysis for the evaluation of mass spectrometric data and, therefore, is of high interest for future application in space exploration missions.

Authors 13

1. Loraine Schwander corresponding

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

2. N. F. W. Ligterink

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

3. Kristina A. Kipfer

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

4. Rustam Lukmanov

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

5. Valentine Grimaudo

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

6. Marek Tulej

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

7. Coenraad de Koning

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

8. Peter Keresztes Schmidt

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

9. Salome Gruchola

   University of Bern

   Affiliation as printed

   Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

10. Nikita Jennifer Boeren

    University of Bern

    Affiliation as printed

    NCCR, PlanetS, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

11. P. Ehrenfreund Aachen Leiden Observatory

    Leiden University · George Washington University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

    Space Policy Institute, George Washington University, Washington DC, MD, United States

12. Peter Wurz

    University of Bern

    Affiliation as printed

    NCCR, PlanetS, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

13. Andreas Riedo corresponding

    University of Bern

    Affiliation as printed

    NCCR, PlanetS, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Space and Planetary Science, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland