U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 5121800; DC area (202) 5121800 Fax: (202) 5122104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 204020001 ASTROBIOLOGY: SEARCH FOR BIOSIGNATURES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION DECEMBER 4, 2013 Serial No. 11357 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas, Chair DANA ROHRABACHER, California RALPH M. HALL, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas MICHAEL T. M CCAUL, Texas PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi MO BROOKS, Alabama RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas BILL POSEY, Florida CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming DAVID SCHWEIKERT, Arizona THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma RANDY WEBER, Texas CHRIS STEWART, Utah CHRIS COLLINS, New York EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas ZOE LOFGREN, California DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon ERIC SWALWELL, California DAN MAFFEI, New York ALAN GRAYSON, Florida JOSEPH KENNEDY III, Massachusetts SCOTT PETERS, California DEREK KILMER, Washington AMI BERA, California ELIZABETH ESTY, Connecticut MARC VEASEY, Texas JULIA BROWNLEY, California MARK TAKANO, California ROBIN KELLY, Illinois C O N T E N T S December 4, 2013 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Lamar S. Smith, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .....................7 Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Minority Mem- ber, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Rep- Witnesses: Dr. Mary Voytek, Senior Scientist for Astrobiology, Planetary Science Divi- sion, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dr. Sara Seager, Class of 1941 Professor of Physics and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dr. Steven Dick, Baruch S. Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology, John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Dr. Mary Voytek, Senior Scientist for Astrobiology, Planetary Science Divi- sion, National Aeronautics and Space Administration .....................................58 Dr. Sara Seager, Class of 1941 Professor of Physics and Planetary Science, Dr. Steven Dick, Baruch S. Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology, John W. Kluge ASTROBIOLOGY: SEARCH FOR BIOSIGNATURES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013 HOUSE OFREPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ONSCIENCE, SPACE, ANDTECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Lamar Smith [Chairman of the Committee] presiding. Chairman SMITH. The Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- nology will come to order. Welcome to todays hearing titled Astrobiology: the Search for Biosignatures in our Solar System and Beyond. I will recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement and then recog- nize the Ranking Member. The search for exoplanets and Earth-like planets is a relatively new but inspiring area of space exploration. Scientists are discov- ering solar systems in our own galaxy that we never knew existed. As we learn more about these new worlds, reasonable questions to ask are: what can we find on these planets? Do the atmospheres of these planets provide biosignatures that would indicate the pres- ence of some form of rudimentary life? And what would be the im- plications of such a discovery? The discovery of even microbes on another planet would be the most newsworthy story in decades. It could affect the way we view our place in the universe and it could create increased interest in the core disciplines of astrobiology including chemistry, physics, ge- ology and biology. The United States has pioneered the field of astrobiology and continues to lead the world in this type of research. The publication of scientific findings illustrates the fields growth and growing pop- ularity in the past 20 years. A sample of professional papers published in Science magazine between 1995 and 2013 shows significant growth in the field of astrobiology. For example, in 1995, fewer than 50 papers were pub- lished on astrobiology. By 2012, that number had increased to more than 500. In 1995, fewer than 500 scientific reports cited astrobiology, but by 2012, it was almost 12,000. Astrobiologists study the atmospheres of planets to determine whether or not some of these newly discovered planets possess pos- sible signs of life such as microbes or some form of vegetation. Sci- entists believe that such planets would produce certain gases in their atmospheres. For example, when examined from a distance, Earths atmosphere contains large amounts of oxygen. When looked at through a large infrared telescope, the biosignature would be de- tectable from a distant point in space. Using the infrared camera on the Hubble Space Telescope, two teams of scientists from the University of Maryland, NASAs God- dard Space Flight Center, and the Space Science Telescope Insti- tute announced just yesterday that they had found signatures of water in the atmospheres of five exoplanets. The planets are simi- lar to what are called hot Jupiters, too large and gaseous to contain any form of known life. However, the techniques used in this case are also being used to examine the atmospheres of other planets. Future telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey satellite, and the Wide Field In- frared Survey Telescope will help us discover more about the atmospheres of exoplanets and whether or not microbes or other forms of life could exist there. I look forward to hearing how research in astrobiology continues to expand this fascinating frontier. That concludes my opening statement. [The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:] PREPAREDSTATEMENT OFCHAIRMANLAMARS. SMITH Chairman Smith: Good morning. The search for exoplanets and Earth-like planets is a relatively new but inspiring area of space exploration. Scientists are discovering solar systems in our own galaxy that we never knew existed. As we learn more about these new worlds, reasonable questions to ask are: What could we find on these worlds? Do the atmospheres of these worlds provide biosigna- tures that would indicate the presence of some form of rudimentary life? And what would be the implications of such a discovery? The discovery of even microbes on another planet would be the most newsworthy story in decades. It could affect the way we view our place in the universe. It could create increased interest in the core disciplines that fall under the umbrella of astrobiology, including chemistry, physics, geology and biology. The United States pioneered the field of astrobiology and continues to lead the world in this type of research. The publication of scientific findings illustrates the fields growth and growing popularity in the past 20 years. A sample of professional papers published in Science magazine between 1995 and 2013 shows significant growth in the field of astrobiology. In 1995, fewer than 50 papers were published on astrobiology. By 2012, that number had increased to more than 500. In 1995, fewer than 500 scientific reports cited astrobiology, but by 2012, it was almost 12,000. Astrobiologists study the atmospheres of planets to determine whether or not some of these newly discovered planets possess possible signs of life, such as mi- crobes or some form of vegetation. Scientists believe that such planets would produce certain gases in their atmospheres. For example, when examined from a distance, Earths atmosphere contains large amounts of oxygen. When looked at through a large infrared telescope, this biosigna- ture would be detectable from a distant point in space. Using the infrared camera on the Hubble Space Telescope, two teams of scientists from the University of Maryland, NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and Space Science Telescope Institute announced yesterday that they found signatures of water in the atmospheres of five exoplanets. The planets are similar to hot Jupiters, too large and gaseous to contain any form of known life. However, the techniques used in this case are also being used to examine the atmospheres of other planets. Future telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope will help us discover more about the atmospheres of exoplanets and whether or not microbes or other forms of life could exist there. I look forward to hearing how research in astrobiology continues to expand this fascinating frontier. Chairman SMITH. The gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Johnson, is recognized for hers. Ms. JOHNSON. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, and welcome to our distinguished panel of witnesses. There is no denying humankinds interest in establishing wheth- er life exists elsewhere in the universe. People have probably spec- ulated on that possibility since time immemorial. The question of whether there is life beyond Earth got increased attention this year following the Kepler Space Telescopes discovery of Earth-sized exoplanets in habitable zones around other stars, and Curiositys finding of traces of water in the Martian soil. Astrobiology, as we will hear during this hearing, is an inter- disciplinary field that makes use of many fields of science to inves- tigate the possibility of life on other worlds. As might have been guessed, NASA has played a major role in astrobiologys development as a formal discipline. NASAs Viking missions to Mars, launched in 1976, included three biology experi- ments designed to look for possible signs of life. The scientific ex- citement generated by the Viking mission, new results from solar system exploration and astronomical research programs in the mid nineties, and advances in the fundamental biological sciences led to the establishment of the NASA Astrobiology program in 1996. Today, NASAs Astrobiology program consists of four elements: grant programs, technological activities aimed at the development of new scientific instrumentation, technological activities aimed at the field-testing of new scientific instruments, and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. In addition, astrobiology has become a cross-cutting theme in all of NASAs space science endeavors. For example, rather than being standalone investigations, many planetary science and astronomy missions work together in their search for life in the Universe. Mr. Chairman, I would be remiss were I not to make note that continuing to provide adequate funding to NASAs science pro- grams is of critical importance if we are to continue to make progress in astrobiology as well as other important scientific fields. I hope that Congress recognizes the vital contributions of ongoing and future NASA space science missions in answering whether there is life in the Universe. This hearing is an opportunity to shine light on these contributions, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses. I thank you, and yield back. [The prepared statement of Ms. Johnson follows:] PREPAREDSTATEMENT OFRANKINGMEMBEREDDIEBERNICEJOHNSON Good morning and welcome to our distinguished panel of witnesses. There is no denying Humankinds interest in establishing whether life exists else- where in the Universe. People have probably speculated on that possibility since time immemorial. The question of whether there is life beyond Earth got increased attention this year following the Kepler space telescopes discovery of Earth-sized exoplanets in habitable zones around other stars, and Curiositys finding of traces of water in Martian soil. Astrobiology, as we will hear during this hearing, is an interdisciplinary field that makes use of many fields of science to investigate the possibility of life on other As might have been guessed, NASA has played a major role in astrobiologys de- velopment as a formal discipline. NASAs Viking missions to Mars, launched in 1976, included three biology experiments designed to look for possible signs of life. The scientific excitement generated by the Viking mission, new results from solar system exploration and astronomical research programs in the mid-1990s, and ad- vances in the fundamental biological sciences, led to the establishment of the NASA Astrobiology Program in 1996. Today, NASAs Astrobiology Program consists of four elementsgrants programs, technological activities aimed at the development of new scientific instrumentation, technological activities aimed at the field-testing of new scientific instruments, and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. In addition, astrobiology has become a cross-cutting theme in all of NASAs space science endeavors. For example, rather than being stand-alone investigations, many planetary science and astronomy missions work together in their search for life in the Universe. Mr. Chairman, I would be remiss were I not to make note that continuing to pro- vide adequate funding to NASAs science programs is of critical importance if we are to continue to make progress in astrobiology as well as other important scientific I hope that Congress recognizes the vital contributions of ongoing and future NASA space science missions in answering whether there is life in the Universe. This hearing is an opportunity to shine light on these contributions. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses, and I yield back the balance of my Chairman SMITH. Thank you, Ms. Johnson. I will now introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is Dr. Mary A. Voytek. Dr. Voytek became Senior Scientist for Astrobiology in the Science Mission Directorate of NASA headquarters in 2008. Dr. Voytek came to NASA from the U.S. Geological Survey, where she headed the Microbiology and Molecular Ecology Laboratory. Dr. Voytek has served on advisory groups to the Department of the In- terior, Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and NASA including NASAs Planetary Protection Subcommittee. She received a Bachelors in biology from Johns Hopkins University, a Masters in biological oceanography from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph.D. in biology and ocean sciences from the Univer- sity of California. Our second witness is Dr. Sara Seager. Dr. Seager is an Astro- physicist and Planetary Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Seager chairs a current NASA Science and Technology Definition Team Study of the star shade concept for space-based direct imaging to fined and characterize other earths. Before joining MIT in 2007, Professor Seager spent four years on the senior research staff at the Carnegie Institute of Washington preceded by three years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow, winner of the Genius Grant; also, the 2012 recipient of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences and the 2007 recipi- ent of the American Astronomical Societys Helen B. Warner Prize. She received her Bachelors of Science in the Math and Physics Specialist Program from the University of Toronto. She also holds a Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University. Our third witness is Dr. Steven Dick. Dr. Dick currently holds the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology at the Library of Congress. He served as the Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History at the National Air and Space Museum from 2011 to 2012, and as the NASA Chief Histo- rian and Director of the NASA History Office from 2003 to 2009. Prior to that, he worked as an Astronomer and Historian of Science at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. for 24 y