Troy Wegman

Secondary Mission-Laboratory Analysis of Specimens

The Waypoint 74 #5 sample was analyzed by microscopy today, and images were taken. Waypoint 74 was the canyon area to the NE of the hab, which was visited on Feb 17. This sample was an orange tinted gypsum sample with no obvious lithic biological growth.

The sample was salt-like and was scraped off with a razor blade onto a slide containing a drop of 100% glycerol and mixed thoroughly to break up any large pieces. The sample was viewed under 400X magnification.

This sample was a gypsum salt rock. Under 400X, green chains resembling bacteria (in size and shape) were dispersed throughout the gypsum crystals. Some crystals didn’t possess any organisms. These organisms are similar to what was found in the Waypoint 59 sample yesterday. The Waypoint 59 sample was a rock covered with salt crystals. It is important to note that organisms were found in the Waypoint 74 #5 gypsum rock even though no visible green growth was apparent like that of the previously analyzed Waypoint 74 #4 gypsum rock sample and other rock samples. POSITIVE: HALOPHILIC, ENDOLITHIC ORGANISMS.

Also today, samples were organized for the next crew and extracted and aliquotted for additional secondary and tertiary mission analysis. The gram stain reagents arrived in the afternoon. With no culturing capability, we are trying to use any techniques possible to characterize these organisms, keeping in mind that cyanobacteria are gram negative. Gram stains were performed on the following samples: Waypoint 59, Waypoint 74 #4, Waypoint 74 #5, and Waypoint 54 #2. These samples were chosen because they were positive for organisms. Gram stain analysis is inconclusive and needs to be repeated. Without culturing the organisms, it is likely that the number of organisms is too few for the stain to be useful. However, this should not deter future crews from using the stain.