The Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Suite (SAM) represents a major step forward in addressing the potential for life on the red planet. It will search for compounds of the element carbon (including methane) that are associated with life and explore ways in which they are generated and destroyed in the martian ecosphere.

Actually a suite of three instruments, including a mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph, and tunable laser spectrometer, Sample Analysis at Mars will also look for and measure the abundances of other light elements, such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, associated with life.