MOMA: The Challenge to Search for Organics and Biosignatures on Mars

Abstract: This paper describes strategies to search for, detect, and identify organic material on the surface and subsurface of Mars. The strategies described include those applied by landed missions in the past and those that will be applied in the future. The value and role of ESA’s ExoMars rover and of her key science instrument Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) are critically assessed.