re: Martian methanogens
I did my grad studies in Mass spec., so I am 100% on board to land a decent ms on any planet/satellete you want to name;-its the best way to probe the chemistry of anything, that said, if the micro-orgs on Mars (orwherever) are just hanging on in there -which is the best we can hope for given the total desolation seen on Mars thus far, what kind of resolution are you going to need?
Andrew