An Overview of Terrestrial Analogue Sites in India as Potential Training Grounds for Crewed and Robotic Exploration of Moons and Planets

Abstract:

Analogue environments on Earth are critical for developing scientific analysis and exploration strategies for missions to the Moon, Mars, and other bodies of interest in the Solar System. India’s diverse geography offers several unique, accessible regions that can help us prepare for robotic and crewed space exploration. A few of these regions host current, ongoing planetary analogue studies, whereas others have been identified for pathfinding trips in the near term. We present an overview of these areas, focusing on three regions, and highlight their significance for science, instrumentation, and mission operations testing to the planetary analogue research community. In the Ladakh region of the Himalayas, the locations include: Hypersaline Lakes and Permafrost–Tso Kar; Hot Springs–Puga, Panamik; Sand Dunes and Ponds–Hunder; Glacial Sediments–Khardung La, Taglang La. Work at these sites allows us to conduct comparative habitability studies and test biosignature sensor instruments and test biosignature preservation potential in cold, dry glacial environments. Clay Deposits (with high potential for organic preservation) in dune ponds in Ladakh’s arid valleys appear to be similar to dune fields that have been observed on Mars. Another site, the Lonar Crater in Central India, is a rare basalt-impact crater and direct analogue of Jezero Crater, Mars, the site for NASA’s 2020 Mars Rover Mission ‘Perseverance’. The crater’s delta will allow us to explore biosignatures in its organic layer depositions from nearby water bodies. Habitability potential studies of Lonar Crater’s gullies, ejecta and delta region will help develop UAV or rover-based instruments for Mars. Finally, Kutch, one of the largest salt flats of the world in Western India, has many seasonal hypersaline ponds that support halophilic bacteria. These are ideal analogues for observed salt flats on Mars, which could potentially contain remnants of early Martian life. Kutch also has deposits of Jarosite- a sulphate mineral which is considered a key indicator of hydrous, acidic, and oxidizing conditions on the surface of early Mars. This similarity in the mineral assemblages within altered basalt could help understand surface evolution on Mars.