"Standoff Biofinder" for Fast, Noncontact, Nondestructive, Large-Area Detection of Biological Materials for Planetary Exploration.
We developed a prototype instrument called the Standoff Biofinder, which can quickly locate biological material in a 500 cm(2) area from a 2 m standoff distance with a detection time of 0.1 s. All biogenic materials give strong fluorescence signals when excited with UV and visible lasers. In addition, the luminescence decay time of biogenic compounds is much shorter (<100 ns) than the micro- to millisecond decay time of transition metal ions and rare-earth ions in minerals and rocks. The Standoff Biofinder takes advantage of the short lifetime of biofluorescent materials to obtain real-time fluorescence images that show the locations of biological materials among luminescent minerals in a geological context. The Standoff Biofinder instrument will be useful for locating biological material during future NASA rover, lander, and crewed missions. Additionally, the instrument can be used for nondestructive detection of biological materials in unique samples, such as those obtained by sample return missions from the outer planets and asteroids. The Standoff Biofinder also has the capacity to detect microbes and bacteria on space instruments for planetary protection purposes.



Standoff Biofinder-Luminescence-Time-resolved fluorescence-Biofluorescence-Planetary exploration-Planetary protection-Noncontact nondestructive biodetection. Astrobiology 16, 715-729.
1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , Honolulu, Hawaii.
Anupam K
AK
Misra
1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tayro E
TE
Acosta-Maeda
1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , Honolulu, Hawaii.
Shiv K
SK
Sharma
2 NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California.
Christopher P
CP
McKay
3 Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, New Mexico .
Patrick J
PJ
Gasda
1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , Honolulu, Hawaii.
G Jeffrey
GJ
Taylor
1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , Honolulu, Hawaii.
Paul G
PG
Lucey
1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa , Honolulu, Hawaii.
Luke
L
Flynn
4 NASA Langley Research Center , Hampton, Virginia.
M Nurul
MN
Abedin
3 Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, New Mexico .
Samuel M
SM
Clegg
3 Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, New Mexico .
Roger
R
Wiens
D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D018559:Exobiology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D005453:Fluorescence; D005580:Fossils; D007834:Lasers; D016083:Planets; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013997:Time Factors