A “Proof of Concept” Terrestrial Analogue Database for Aiding Site Selection on Astrobiology Focussed Space Missions

The planning and scientific investigations associated with space missions to Solar System bodies often relies upon supporting studies using terrestrial analogues with similar physical, chemical or geological characteristics, and this is true of space missions with an astrobiology focus. However, given the ever increasing breadth of extremophile and extremotolerant microbial life found on Earth and the wide range of environments they inhabit and conditions they can tolerate or thrive in, no database of terrestrial analogues locations applicable to astrobiology appears to exist to assist mission teams and researchers. This research study has sought to produce a “proof of concept” database of terrestrial analogues for astrobiology, drawing upon available scientific literature to characterise terrestrial locations against various parameters associated with extreme conditions. By utilising techniques from multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), the database is designed to assist in mission planning by identifying optimal, or near-optimal, analogue sites held in the database for potential scientific investigation and mission support, based on the mission target location being considered. The “proof of concept” database has drawn upon several Solar System “mission target” data sets for demonstrating key features of the MCDA approach, such as the scoring / ranking of terrestrial analogues for a given mission target. Multiple terrestrial analogue locations encompassing numerous microbial habitats have been identified and incorporated into the “proof of concept”. The findings presented here suggests the implementation of a terrestrial analogue database is feasible, but not without issues to deliver a usable framework. The “proof of concept” database establishes how use of MCDA techniques could be of benefit in selecting suitable terrestrial analogue sites for supporting space mission planning and associated scientific studies, with the initial results for “mission targets” showing promise. However, there remains some concerns around incomplete data sets for both potential mission sites and analogue locations and the processing and management of null entries within the database.