Doctoral Dissertation Research: Astrobiological Models in NASA's Search for Microbial Life

博士论文研究：美国宇航局寻找微生物生命的天体生物学模型

• 批准号: 1948100
• 负责人: Ilana Feldman
• 金额: $ 1.96万
• 依托单位: George Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-04-01 至 2021-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1948100&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Astrobiological; Models

How do scientists search for evidence of life on Mars and how does this relate to knowledge about life on Earth? NASA astrobiology scientists in the United States are leading the efforts to search for microbial life on other planets, for the purpose of understanding how life on Earth originated and whether non-Earth environments can support life. In NASA, the search for life takes place at the microbial level. While scientists have devised precise techniques for detecting microbial life on Earth, they are unsure of the forms Martian microbes could take. In order to prepare for interplanetary missions, scientists must find ways to imagine and detect non-Earth life. The way that NASA scientists imagine non-Earth life shifts ways in which life on Earth is defined. This project, which trains a graduate student in anthropology in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, explores how astrobiological models and mission plans develop as scientists imagine Earth microbial in relation to extraterrestrial life. The project outcomes and plans for dissemination of its data and findings will complement recent efforts by NASA to increase public involvement in discussing and participating in future space missions, such demonstrated by STEM education initiatives to promote student experiments on the ISS and inviting public opinion on Mars Sample Return mission concepts. Additionally, the project broadens the participation of groups historically underrepresented in science. Dana Burton, under the supervision of Dr. Ilana Feldman of the George Washington University will explore the research processes that NASA scientists employ to imagine, define, and detect non-Earth life, and probe the networks through which they debate this knowledge, amidst growing public interests in deteriorating climatic conditions on Earth and commercial interests in accessing other planetary bodies. The research for this anthropological doctoral dissertation will take place at two facilities: Ames Research Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Ames scientists are interested in the biological definitions and delimitations of life, while JPL scientists are in charge of constructing technologies that conduct science in space, such as rovers. Through interviews, observations, and analysis of archival data, the researcher will study these sites in unison to understand both how life is defined (particularly by observing scientific research (in the lab and in the desert) of life forms that live in extreme environments) and how the durability of mission technologies is tested. In so doing, this project will comment on how scientists are preparing for explorations of life and the environments supporting life in space. Overall, this research endeavors to understand how scientific knowledge about astrobiology is produced and how it may shift conceptualizations of life in significant ways on Earth.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

科学家如何寻找火星生命的证据，这与关于地球生命的知识有何关系？美国国家航空航天局的天文学科学家正在领导在其他行星上寻找微生物生命的努力，目的是了解地球上的生命如何产生以及非地球环境是否可以支持生活。在NASA，寻找生活是在微生物层面进行的。尽管科学家已经设计了用于检测地球上微生物生命的精确技术，但他们不确定火星微生物可以采取的形式。为了准备行星际任务，科学家必须找到想象和发现非地球生活的方法。 NASA科学家认为非地球生活的方式改变了地球上的生活的方式。该项目在经验，科学数据收集和分析方法中培训人类学研究生，探讨了天体生物学模型和任务计划如何随着科学家认为与外星人生活有关的地球微生物的发展而发展。 NASA的最新努力将补充公众参与讨论和参与未来的太空任务，STEM Education倡议旨在促进ISS上的学生实验并邀请公众对MARS样本样本返回任务概念邀请公众意见。此外，该项目扩大了历史上代表性不足的群体的参与。在乔治华盛顿大学的伊拉纳·费尔德曼（Ilana Feldman）的监督下，达娜·伯顿（Dana Burton）将探索NASA科学家采用的研究过程，以想象，定义和检测非地球生活，并探究他们在这些知识中审议这些知识的网络，而这些网络在越来越多的公共利益越来越大，在地球上越来越多地访问了其他地球上的气候和商业利益，可以访问其他地球。该人类学博士学位论文的研究将在两个设施：AMES研究中心和JET推进实验室（JPL）进行。 AMES科学家对生命的生物定义和划界感兴趣，而JPL科学家负责构建在空间中进行科学的技术，例如流浪者。通过对档案数据的访谈，观察和分析，研究人员将一致研究这些站点，以了解生活的定义（尤其是观察到生活在极端环境中的生命形式的科学研究（在实验室和沙漠中）以及如何测试任务技术的耐用性。这样一来，这个项目将评论科学家如何为生活和支持太空生活的环境的探索做准备。总体而言，这项研究努力了解如何产生有关天体生物学的科学知识，以及它如何以地球上的重要方式改变生活的概念化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响来通过评估来获得支持。