SETG, the Search for Extraterrestrial Genomes, is a joint MIT-Harvard research project at Massachusetts General Hospital to design, test, and deploy a robotic device to test the surface of Mars for genomic and DNA-like molecules.
My task was to test the robustness of Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR is a common DNA-amplification prodedure) against irradiation doses from a 6-month journey to Mars.
Using various fluxes and fluences of neutron radiation from the MIT NRL, proton spectra from the Frances Burr Proton Proton Cyclotron and Beam, and Heavy Ion beams at Brookhaven NSRL, I determined that cosmic radiation has negligible effect on the reagents of PCR over a 6-month space flight. At higher doses (5+ Gray), we did see significant degradation of the reaction, but this is far outside the expected dose from a Mars trip.
Publication.