In 2012, NASA and the SETI Institute set their sights on Laguna Negra—a high-altitude lake nestled in Chile’s Andes—to simulate conditions analogous to the lakes and seas of other worlds. Battling thin air, frigid nights and rugged terrain, the team conducted systematic water sampling campaigns to assess physical and chemical parameters critical for astrobiology research.
Aqua Survey joined the mission as its dedicated laboratory partner, bringing decades of environmental expertise to the High Lakes Expedition. Our ecotoxicology team received hundreds of water samples directly from the field, performing quantitative analyses of nutrients, trace metals and microbial indicators. These data not only validated sampling protocols under extreme conditions but also anchored NASA’s predictive models for detecting life-supporting environments beyond Earth.
