The Europa Clipper Mission: Understanding Icy World Habitability and Blazing a Path for Future Exploration

Pappalardo, R.; Becker, Tracy M.; Blaney, D. L.; Blankenship, D. D.; Burch, J. L.; Christensen, P. R.; Craft, K. L.; Daubar, I. J.; Gudipati, Murthy S.; Hayes, A. G.; Howell, S. M.; Kempf, S.; Kivelson, Margy; Klima, R.; Korth, H.; Mazarico, E.; Paczkowski, B.; Phillips, Cynthia; Rathbun, J. A.; Ray, T. L.; Retherford, K. D.; Richey, Christina; Roberts, J. M.; Rymer, A. M.; Schmidt, B. E.; Senske, D. A.; Shock, E.; Turtle, E. P.; Westlake, Joe

doi:10.3847/25c2cfeb.08489926

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…For example, recent evidence for liquid water on Mars 8 has sparked interest in the potential for microbial life to exist on the Red Planet or even to persist in the subsurface today. Similarly, studies of icy moons, such as those conducted to explore the Jovian moon Europa’s subsurface ocean 9 , 10 and the Saturnian moon Enceladus’ geysers of water vapor and ice, which are thought to be connected to a subsurface water body 11 , 12 have revealed possible habitats for life 13 . Astrobiologists also seek evidence of prebiotic chemistry and microbial life on other celestial bodies 14 , 15 .…”

Section: Astrobiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Domains of life sciences in spacefaring: what, where, and how to get involved

Berliner,

Zezulka,

Hutchinson

et al. 2024

npj Microgravity

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The integration of biology and spacefaring has led to the development of three interrelated fields: Astrobiology, Bioastronautics, and Space Bioprocess Engineering. Astrobiology is concerned with the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, while Bioastronautics focuses on the effects of spaceflight on biological systems, including human physiology and psychology. Space Bioprocess Engineering, on the other hand, deals with the design, deployment, and management of biotechnology for human exploration. This paper highlights the unique contributions of each field and outlines opportunities for biologists to engage in these exciting avenues of research. By providing a clear overview of the major fields of biology and spacefaring, this paper serves as a valuable resource for scientists and researchers interested in exploring the integration of these disciplines.

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Section: Astrobiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Domains of life sciences in spacefaring: what, where, and how to get involved

Berliner,

Zezulka,

Hutchinson

et al. 2024

npj Microgravity

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“…The presence of liquid water oceans underneath the kilometers-thick outer ice shells of Europa and Enceladus, as discovered by the Galileo mission (Carr et al 1998;Kivelson et al 2000) and the Cassini Huygens mission (Porco et al 2006;Waite et al 2017), respectively, fueled the drive for further investigation with a dedicated focus on the search for extraterrestrial life (Lunine 2017). Several missions are currently being prepared to investigate Europa, including the JUICE/ESA (Grasset et al 2013) and the Europa Clipper/ NASA (Phillips & Pappalardo 2014;Pappalardo et al 2021) missions. Missions to Enceladus have been proposed as well (Cable et al 2021;MacKenzie et al 2021), and recently NASA included the Enceladus Orbilander as a second-highest-priority flagship mission in their decadal strategy report (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting Lipids on Planetary Surfaces with Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Boeren¹,

Gruchola²,

Koning³

et al. 2022

Planet. Sci. J.

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In the search for extraterrestrial life, biosignatures (e.g., organic molecules) play an important role, of which lipids are one considerable class. If detected, these molecules can be strong indicators of the presence of life, past or present, as they are ubiquitous in life on Earth. However, their detection is challenging, depending on, e.g., instrument performance, as well as the selected site. In this contribution, we demonstrate that, using laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, detection of lipids is feasible. Using our space prototype instrument designed and built in-house, six representative lipids were successfully detected: cholecalciferol, phylloquinone, menadione, 17α-ethynylestradiol, α-tocopherol, and retinol, both as pure substances and as mixtures additionally containing amino acids or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Observed limits of detection for lipids already meet the requirements stated in the Enceladus Orbilander mission concept. The current performance of our LDI-MS system allows for the simultaneous identification of lipids, amino acids, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, using a single instrument. We therefore believe that the LDI-MS system is a promising candidate for future space exploration missions devoted to life detection.

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