Life Investigation For Enceladus Explained

Life Investigation For Enceladus (LIFE) was a proposed astrobiology mission concept that would capture icy particles from Saturn's moon Enceladus and return them to Earth, where they could be studied in detail for signs of life such as biomolecules.[1] [2] [3] [4]

The LIFE orbiter concept was proposed by a team led by Peter Tsou to NASA's 13th Discovery Mission solicitation,[3] but the mission was not selected by NASA for Phase-A design study.[5]

Mission concept

Enceladus is a small icy moon with jets or geysers of water erupting from its surface thatmight be connected to active hydrothermal vents at its subsurface water ocean floor,[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] where the moon's ocean meets the underlying rock, a prime habitat for life.[11] [12] The geysers could provide easy access for sampling the moon's subsurface ocean, and if there is microbial life in it, ice particles from the sea could contain the evidence astrobiologists need to identify them.[13] [14] The 15-year LIFE mission would use a 'Tanpopo' aerogel collector[14] similar to the one NASA used in the Stardust sample return mission to return cometary dust in 2006. The proposed spacecraft would enter into Saturn orbit and enable multiple flybys through Enceladus's icy plumes. After spending about two years in orbit as slow as 2 km/s around Saturn,[2] LIFE would use its propulsion system to escape Saturn and begin the ~4.5 year long voyage back to Earth with the collected particles in a return capsule.[15] [16] The spacecraft may sample Enceladus's plume, the E ring of Saturn, and the Titan upper atmosphere.[2]

In December 2014, NASA announced that it would be selecting finalists in June 2015 to submit proposals for a future Discovery Program mission, and selecting a winning proposal in September 2016. The selected mission must launch by the end of 2021.[17] The mission would have a $425 million development cost cap, and it would reach Saturn after a series of gravity assists past Venus and the Earth. Samples from Enceladus's plume would make it to Earth about 14 years later.[1] In September 2016, NASA announced that five proposals had been selected for further study.[18]

Science payload

As currently envisioned, the probe's science payload would consist of:[1]

The samples collected would be returned to Earth for extensive analyses.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Wall . Mike . Saturn Moon Enceladus Eyed for Sample-Return Mission . Space.com . December 6, 2012 . 2015-04-10 .
  2. LIFE: Life Investigation For Enceladus A Sample Return Mission Concept in Search for Evidence of Life. . Astrobiology . August 2012 . Tsou . Peter . Brownlee . D.E. . Christopher . McKay . Anbar . A.D. . Yano . H. . 34375065 . 12 . 8 . 730–742 . 10.1089/ast.2011.0813 . 22970863. 2012AsBio..12..730T .
  3. LIFE - Enceladus Plume Sample Return via Discovery . 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference . 2014 . Tsou . Peter . Anbar . Ariel . Atwegg . Kathrin . Porco . Carolyn . Baross . John . McKay . Christopher . 2015-04-10 .
  4. LIFE: Life Investigation For Enceladus - A Sample Return Mission Concept in Search for Evidence of Life. . .doc . Tsou . Peter . Jet Propulsion Laboratory . 2013 . 12 . 8 . 730–42 . 10.1089/ast.2011.0813 . 22970863 . 2015-04-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150901121008/http://discoveringenceladus.com/downloads/LIFE%20-%20Life%20Investigation%20For%20Enceladus%20-%20A%20Sample%20Return%20Mission%20Concept%20in%20Search%20for%20Evidence%20of%20Life.doc . 2015-09-01 .
  5. News: NASA announces five Discovery proposals selected for further study . The Planetary Society . September 30, 2015 . 2017-01-02 .
  6. http://astrobiology.com/2015/03/ocean-within-enceladus-may-harbor-hydrothermal-activity.html Ocean Within Enceladus May Harbor Hydrothermal Activity
  7. Web site: Platt . Jane . Bell . Brian . NASA Space Assets Detect Ocean inside Saturn Moon . . April 3, 2014 . 2014-04-03 .
  8. Iess . L. . Stevenson . D. J. . Parisi . M. . Hemingway . D. . Jacobson . R.A. . Lunine . Jonathan I. . Nimmo . F. . Armstrong . J. W. . Asmar . S. W. . Ducci . M. . Tortora . P. . The Gravity Field and Interior Structure of Enceladus . April 4, 2014 . . 344 . 6179 . 78–80 . 10.1126/science.1250551 . 2014Sci...344...78I . 24700854. 28990283 .
  9. News: Amos . Jonathan . Saturn's Enceladus moon hides 'great lake' of water . BBC News . April 3, 2014 . 2014-04-07 .
  10. News: Kane . Van . Discovery Missions for an Icy Moon with Active Plumes . The Planetary Society . 3 April 2014 . 2015-04-09 .
  11. News: Witze . Alexandra . Hints of hot springs found on Saturnian moon . Nature News . March 11, 2015 . 2015-04-07 .
  12. News: Anderson . Paul Scott . Cassini Finds Evidence for Hydrothermal Activity on Saturn's Moon Enceladus . AmericaSpace . March 13, 2015 . 2015-04-07 .
  13. News: Gronstal . Aaron . Enceladus in 101 Geysers . NASA Astrobiology Institute . July 30, 2014 . 2015-04-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140816022543/http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/articles/2014/7/30/enceladus-in-101-geysers/ . August 16, 2014 .
  14. Yano . H. . Strange . Nathan . Dissly . Richard . Kanik . I. . Low Cost Enceladus Sample Return Mission Concept . Low Cost Planetary Missions Conference #10 . Tsou . Peter . Brownlee . D. E. . McKay . C. P. . 3 . Anbar . A. . June 18, 2013 . April 10, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140408060245/http://lcpm10.caltech.edu/pdf/session-5/10_LIFE_LCPM_FINAL.pdf . April 8, 2014 . dead .
  15. News: Gilster . Paul . Proposed Europa/Io Sample Return Mission . Centauri Dreams . May 28, 2014 . 2015-04-10 .
  16. News: LePage . Drew . A Europa-Io Sample Return Mission . Drew ExMachina . March 27, 2014 . 2015-04-10 .
  17. News: Kane . Van . Selecting the Next Creative Idea for Exploring the Solar System . Planetary Society . December 2, 2014 . 2015-02-10 .
  18. News: Casey . Dreier . Emily . Lakdawalla . Selecting the Next Creative Idea for Exploring the Solar System . Planetary Society . December 2, 2014 . 2015-02-10 .

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