A team from Arizona State University (ASU) has arrived in Peru for a one-month research mission at La Joya Desert, located some 70km from southern Arequipa city.
The delegation is led by ASU Assistant Professor Dr. Hinsby Cadillo and sponsored by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (
NASA) through Planetary Geologist Dr. Christopher McKay.
The experts will analyze La Joya's soil with the support of San Pablo de Arequipa Catholic University's (UCSP) Science, Technology and Innovation Research Coordinator Saul Perez Montaño.
"It has been proved that [the geography of] La Joya Desert is analogous to that of planet Mars; hence its relevance as a research site. It is a natural lab," Perez Montaño explained.
In this sense, the mission seeks to shed light on the capture of different gases, as well as on chemical reactions between them and the existence —or non-existence— of microorganisms.
To this end, a U.S. gas chromatograph has been installed in UCSP's Energy and Environment Institute to assess organisms detected. In addition, researchers will rely on other devices to measure temperature, pH, humidity, among other factors.
Scientists will also collect soil samples for further analysis in the U.S.
Lastly, Perez noted that —in addition to being a Mars analogue— La Joya Desert is an ideal location to research into the origin of life in our own planet.
"We have a treasure we must protect […]. Our goal is to have an astrobiological research station," he indicated.