ABSTRACT

The search for signs of life on Mars has been a longstanding high priority for NASA, a source of excitement for the public, and a source of sensationalism for the media. Dr. Shkolyar will describe recent efforts to define frameworks and standards for reporting life detection data, both in peer-reviewed literature and in the media. She will discuss these frameworks through the lens of NASA's most recent rover mission operating on Mars since 2021, Perseverance Rover (Mars 2020). She will weave together results, challenges, and lessons learned in the search for potential fossil carbonaceous biosignatures preserved in Martian surface regolith and the mission's efforts to cache samples for return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Shkolyar is an astrobiologist interested in life detection missions. Her research has focused on in situ multi-wavelength Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy studies of organic biosignatures on Mars and their false positive abiotic mimics. She also develops webtools and databases for life detection mission planning and formulation. Dr. Shkolyar has participated on the last two NASA Mars rover missions, Mars Science Laboratory and Perseverance, and is part of the upcoming European Space Agency's ExoMars mission. Dr. Shkolyar is also passionate in serving societal needs (i.e., increasing STEM literacy and science literacy) through the engaging narrative offered by astrobiology. She supports NASA's Astrobiology Program by leading initiatives that improve astrobiologists' science communication toolkits and increase the reach of NASA astrobiology learning materials across diverse learning platforms.