McMaster University
Development of a small scale Raman/LIF system for organic detection and characterization during space mission deployment — Astrobiology is focused on detecting 
evidence of life beyond the Earth and so 
answering the age old question ""Are we 
alone in the Universe?"" Yet, to date there 
is very limited data from other planets or 
moons about the presence and distribution 
of organic molecules.

The project aims at developing a 
simplified, small scale science instrument 
for the detection and characterization of 
organic compounds for deployment as a 
component of space exploration and 
astrobiology missions such as Mars 2020. 
Testing the instrument using material that 
contains organics that are representative 
of life (e.g. environmental samples) and 
organics not representative of life (e.g. 
meteorites) offers insight into the 
presence and type of organic matter on 
solar system bodies beyond the Earth.