NASA Develops Instrument To ‘Sniff Out’ Aliens On Mars, Here Is How

A team of researchers from NASA have created a sniffer that can reportedly smell certain molecules, which will help in analyzing the dust on Mars to search for signs of alien life. The instrument, which has been developed by NASA technologist Branimir Blagojevic and his team, is inspired by a sensor being used by the US military currently to detect potentially dangerous toxins and chemicals in the air.

Called the Bio-Indicator Lidar Instrument, the newly developed sensor will be used to scan dust particles on the Red Planet for detecting bio-signatures, which are basically signs of life. When on the surface of Mars, the instrument can examine large areas at once, enabling scientists to create a detailed map of life on the Red Planet. Additionally, the sensor, which is able to run on electricity alone, can also analyze how old the bio-signatures are.

Incidentally, the sensor is similar to a radar, however it uses light to detect and study particles in the atmosphere. Once the instrument discovers dust plumes on the ground, it sends ultraviolet light through them to create fluorescence. Subsequently, scientists can analyze whether the scanned dust contains organic matter, as well as its age, by looking at the fluorescence.

The sniffer will join the plethora of instruments that are already looking for life on Mars. The advantage that it will add to the search party is its ability to cover more area without the disadvantage of having to transport it to every potential site, which can be a deterrent on the challenging and uneven Martian terrain. The instrument can detect bio-particles from hundreds of meters away even in small amounts, which also ensures there is a lesser risk of contaminating sites or moving soil residue from one area to another.

"This makes our instrument an excellent complementary organic-detection instrument, which we could use in tandem with more sensitive [tools] that can only measure a small amount of material at once," said Dr. Blagojevic. "NASA has never used [fluorescence techniques] for planetary ground level exploration. If the agency develops it, it will be the first of a kind."