Mass spectrometry and planetary exploration: A brief review and future projection

Abstract

The influence of mass spectrometry is far‐reaching! In this issue of the Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Authors Arevalo, Ni and Danell describe the rich history and promising future applications of the mass spectrometer in the investigation of planetary bodies. Mass analyzers sent into space and deployed to planetary bodies are inherently different from the instruments used in a conventional laboratory setting. Payload instruments must be small and especially rugged, so that they survive the launch, cruise, and deployment phases of the mission. They must also provide a specific set of analytical objectives, including sensitive and quantitative measurements of chemical composition, and isotopic, elemental, and molecular abundances of both volatile and nonvolatile components. These systems must operate autonomously and provide unbiased information on planetary materials. In this month's Special Feature the authors discuss instrument types, their operational requirements, and highlight the expanding scope of mass spectrometry in interplanetary studies.

Subzero, saline incubations of Colwellia psychrerythraea reveal strategies and biomarkers for sustained life in extreme icy environments

“…Evidence of the enrichment of short peptides in icy‐world‐analog incubations here on Earth provide environment‐specific context for future discoveries of detectable biomarkers for life (extant or extinct) on other icy worlds. Currently, no multi‐amino acid‐based biomarkers for life exist, but here we provide a list of potential candidate polypeptides that could be targeted using high mass accuracy lander‐based or in‐orbit mass spectrometers (for review see Arevalo et al ., 2020). Candidate biomarkers must be detectable by mass spectrometry and include polypeptide sequences of 2–8 amino acids in length; for statistical reasons, our analysis focuses on polypeptides of 3–4 amino acids in length.…”

“A novel paradigm for optimal mass feature peak picking in large scale LC-MS datasets using the ‘isopair’: isoLock, autoCredential and anovAlign”

“…Importantly, the principles underneath these algorithms are highly generalizable and our suite is modular – allowing effective application to other workflows besides LC-MS, such as direct injection experiments which are popular in burgeoning single cell metabolomics, a context which could benefit immediately from these tools. These tools will also have utility to other contexts which require accurate LC-MS signal processing beyond untargeted metabolomics, such as proteomics or the use of mass spectrometry for non-traditional analytical settings, such as satellite applications in the space sciences (Arevalo et al ., 2020). Additionally, autoCredential can be modified such that the mass spacing in an isopair is reflective of the mass gain of various chemical species (not simply the difference between 12C and 13C), making this pipeline amenable to labeling experiments and detection of inorganic compounds.…”

Chirality in Organic and Mineral Systems: A Review of Reactivity and Alteration Processes Relevant to Prebiotic Chemistry and Life Detection Missions

“…In addition to existing instruments, the development of new instruments or instrument capabilities to detect chirality in spaceflight is a necessary component in the search for signs of past life. Advancements in the fields of organic separation (e.g., [500][501][502][503][504]) and detection through mass spectrometry [505,506] are needed to enhance the field of chiral separation on spaceflight missions. Refinement of traditional chiral separation and detection methods as well as the development of new analytical strategies to investigate chiral organics [407,420,[507][508][509] and minerals [510] should be prioritized.…”