Abstract
Gas chromatography (GC) is the preferred analytical technique for the in situ search for organic molecules in extraterrestrial environments since it meets the severe requirements imposed by flight conditions: short analysis time and low energy consumption, robustness, storage for long periods under extreme conditions, high efficiency and sensitivity, automation, and remote control operations. Exploration of our solar system has been fundamentally motivated by the search for chemical biomarkers that could provide evidence of extinct or extant life. GC instruments have been successfully installed on probes for in situ space exploration: the payloads have even included pyr-GC-MS systems composed of a pyrolyzer (pyr) device for analyzing organic compounds in atmospheres and soils at ppb concentration levels.
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