ExoMars Team Validates MOMA on 1969 Murchison Meteorite, Proving Chirality Detection for Mars
Updated
Updated · Universe Today · Jun 24
ExoMars Team Validates MOMA on 1969 Murchison Meteorite, Proving Chirality Detection for Mars
1 articles · Updated · Universe Today · Jun 24
Summary
Dr. Guillaume Leseigneur’s team ran a stand-alone MOMA instrument on the Murchison meteorite and showed it can detect molecular chirality—a key biosignature test for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover.
Chirality matters because non-biological chemistry usually yields a roughly 50/50 racemic mix, while life tends to favor one molecular “handedness,” making any strong imbalance a potential sign of biology.
The test targeted pristane and phytane—stable chlorophyll breakdown products that could survive for billions of years on Mars—and found an almost equal racemic mixture instead of the expected biological skew.
Researchers concluded the signal likely came from petroleum-based aerosol contamination picked up during the meteorite’s passage through Earth’s atmosphere, not from extraterrestrial biology, but the result still validated MOMA’s sensitivity.
ESA plans to use MOMA on Rosalind Franklin, slated for launch in the 2030s, to analyze Martian organics on site rather than rely on sample-return missions that have faced funding setbacks.
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MOMA Achieves Breakthrough in Chiral Biosignature Detection Ahead of ExoMars 2030 Mission
Overview
In late 2025 and early 2026, the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) was successfully validated for detecting chiral molecules, confirming its readiness for the search for life on Mars. Rigorous tests using the Murchison meteorite showed that MOMA can accurately identify chiral molecules like pristane and phytane. The detection of a racemic mixture in these samples pointed to terrestrial contamination, offering important context for future Martian analyses. MOMA’s ability to distinguish between chiral and racemic mixtures is crucial for telling apart biological and non-biological origins of organic compounds, supporting its main mission objective on Mars.