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SCIENTIFICOBJECTIVESANDREQUIREMENTS
PSI#5:SEARCHFORLIFE
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONS
PSIs#5arefocusedonthelocalscaletosearchforevidenceofapotentialbiospherewithinEuropa
Scienceonthesurface/subsurface
AllJEMinvestigationsthatrequiresurfacemeasurements shouldbecoordinatedwiththeNASALanderTM(thiscaseisdifferent tootherPSIsthatcanbeachieved fromremoteobservations)
(OPAGupdate)Goal InvestigationSearchforevidenceoflifeonEuropa
Detectandcharacterizeanyorganicindicatorofpastor presentlife
Identifyandcharacterizemorphological andtexturalindicatorsoflife
Detectandcharacterizeanyinorganic indicatorofpastandpresentlife
Determinetheprovenance ofsampledmaterial
Determineiflivingorganismspersistinsampledmaterials(Notpartofthethreshold)
AssessthehabitabilityofEuropaviainsitutechniquesuniquelyavailabletoalandermission
Characterizethenon-icecompositionofEuropa'snear-surfacematerialanddeterminewhetherthereareindicatorsofchemicaldisequilibriumandothercomponentsessentialforlife.
Determine theproximitytoliquidwateratthelander's location
DetectwhetherEuropaisactivetodayandcharacterizeanyobservablesurfaceexchangeprocessestosupportsamplecontext.
Characterizesurfacepropertiesatthescaleofthelandertosupportfutureexploration
Characterizethebiosignature preservationpotential(BPP)ofaccessiblesurfacematerialsatthelandingsite
Characterizethesurface dynamicsofEuropaatthelandingsiteinall3D
Characterizethematerial propertiesofEuropaatthelandingsite
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONSFromHandpresentation,August2016
SOSPSSOP
Substance Object Pattern
FromDesMaraisconceptsappliedtoMars
FROMFORMATIONTOSEARCHFORLIFE
Model Payload (Total Mass: 25 kg MEV)
� Centerpiece Instruments for Astrobiology ! GCMS: VCAM GC + Ion Trap
MS, 8.3 kg CBE ! Raman: SHERLOC 5.4 kg CBE
� Auxiliary Instruments ! Context LanderCams (x2),
0.5 kg each CBE ! Microscopic SampleCam,
0.5 kg CBE
� Baseline Instrument (not included in Threshold) ! 3-axis Geophone, 0.8 kg
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONS35
FromPappalardo presentation,March2016
CONSIDERATIONS• Attributesofsignsoflife:Selectivityoforganicmolecules• Scenarios:concentration,environmentproperties• Validatebiologicaloriginofdegradedsignatures
DEFINITIONS
• Biosignatureisanobject,substanceand/orpatternwhoseoriginspecificallyrequiresabiologicalagent
…becarefulwithambiguoussignatures!!
• Biomarker(ormolecularbiosignature)isanorganiccompoundwithaspecificbiologicalsource.Theyareindisputableevidenceoflife.
EPS,DNA,pigments,FAME
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONS
FromNASAAstrobiologyRoadmap
Categoriesofbiosignatures canincludethefollowing:
-cellularandextracellularmorphologies-biogenicfabricsinrocks-bio-organicmolecularstructures-chirality-biogenicminerals-biogenicstableisotopepatternsinmineralsandorganiccompounds-atmosphericgases-biomolecules
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONS
Biogenic
Abiogenic
Processes Biosignature features
(-)Ambiguity (+)
Goal InvestigationSearchforevidenceoflifeonEuropa
Detectandcharacterizeanyorganicindicatorofpastor presentlifeDetectgeneralbiomarkers**
Identifyandcharacterizemorphological andtexturalindicatorsoflife
Detectandcharacterizeanyinorganic indicatorofpastandpresentlife
Determinetheprovenance ofsampledmaterial
Determineiflivingorganismspersistinsampledmaterials(Notpartofthethreshold)**
AssessthehabitabilityofEuropaviainsitutechniquesuniquelyavailable toalandermission
Characterizethenon-icecompositionofEuropa'snear-surfacematerialanddeterminewhetherthereareindicatorsofchemicaldisequilibriumandothercomponentsessentialforlife
Determine theproximitytoliquidwateratthelander's location
DetectwhetherEuropaisactivetodayandcharacterizeanyobservablesurfaceexchangeprocessestosupportsamplecontext.
Characterizesurfacepropertiesatthescaleofthelandertosupportfutureexploration
Characterizethebiosignaturepreservationpotential(BPP)ofaccessible surfacematerialsatthelandingsite
Characterizethesurface dynamicsofEuropaatthelandingsiteinall3D
Characterizethematerial propertiesofEuropaatthelandingsite
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONSModifiedfromHand’spresentation,August2016
JEMcontributiononsearchforevidenceoflife:
Searchforbiomarkers,specificallybiologicalpolymers,e.g.likepolysaccharides,lipids,proteins,orsomeformofinformationtransmittingmoleculesimilartoDNA.
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONS
SCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONS
Class Examples SignificanceConservedanddeeplyrootedbiomoleculesthatareubiquitousinthetreeoflife
DNA;8---oxoguanine;Thyminedimer;LipidA,peptidoglycananditsderivatives(NAG-NAM)
DNA is the most stableof theinformational polymers and constitutes theultimate repository of information in Earthlife
ProteindomainsthatareinvolvedIndeeplyrootedandwidespreadmetabolicpathways
Nfixation (NifH,NifD), sulfate reduction(DsrA,DsrB),methanogenesis (McrB),hydrogenases (HupL), perchloratereduction (Pcr, Cld), nitrate reduction(NtrA)
Used as biomarkers of extant life.Highlyconserved biomolecules that play a centralrole in ancient metabolic pathways
Structuralcomponentsofcellwalls(proteinsandpolysaccharides)ofbroadprokaryoticgroup
Peptidoglycan,Exopolysaccharides,Lipopolysaccharides,LipidA,Lipoteichoicacids,Pigmentsforprotectingagainstradiation
Theyareubiquitous in thecell wall oftaxonomic-relatedmicroorganismswithinsupragenericgroups (e.g.Archaea, a-, b-,g-, d- proteobacteria, Firmicutes,Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria)
Phyllogenetically conservedstructuralproteinsandstoragecompoundsunderstress(e.g.Nutritionalofwateravailability)ofbroadprokaryoticgroups
GroEL,FtsZ,Histon---like,Phycobiliproteins (pigments),Cyanophycin (polypeptide),BacterialGlycogen,Bacterioferritins andrelatedproteinsforironstorage.
Theyareubiquitousinlargetaxonomic—relatedmicroorganismswithinsupragenericgroups(e.g.Archaea, a-, b-,g-, d- proteobacteria,Firmicutes,Actinobacteria,Cyanobacteria)
Classes ofbiomarkers,andspecific compounds thatcanbetargetedbymultiarray sensor
SCIENTIFICREQUIREMENTSHowtoachievethisinvestigation:
• Surfacescienceisimperativeduetothelowconcentrationandtheinsituanalyticaltechniquesthatmustbeused
• Multiarray inmunoassey detector
• SamplingthesubsurfaceofEuropainordertomeasurefreshmaterials.Materialspreservedfromradiationandotherdestructionprocesses
• Selectionofthelandingsitetominimizetherisk,andmaximizetheoptionstosearchforlife.
• Multisitesamplingtomultiplyopportunitiesofdetection.Avoidpotentialcontamination/alterationduetolanding
• Biosignature PreservationPotential (BPP)Destructionbyradiation, ultravacuum,oxidants
SCIENTIFICREQUIRENMENTS
SCIENTIFICREQUIRENMENTS
Goal Investigation Requirement InstrumentSearchforevidenceoflifeonEuropa
Detectpotentialbiomolecules
Identifybiomoleculessuchas:D/LaromaticaaPAHsShortpeptidesAnti-freezingpeptidesandsugarsEPSfrompsychrophilicmicrobesColdshockproteins(Concentration<10ppb)
Multiarrayimmunoassaydetector
NASAsoftlanderplatform Europeaninstitutesinterested
tocontribute/collaborateNationalagencies
GCMS* LATMOS-CNES,UniversityofBern,MaxPlankInstitute
NASA,France,Switzerland,Germany
Ramanspectroscopy* IRAP,INTA/CSIC-UVA NASA,France,SpainPanCam/microscope* DLR,MSSL/UCL,Space
ExplorationInstitute,CNRSNASA,Germany,UK,Switzerland,France
Geophone* ImperialCollegeLondon,IPG-Paris-CNES-ISAE
NASA,UK,France
Additionalpayload(tobeconsidered)Microarrayimmunoassaydetector CAB-CSIC-INTA SpainWetchemistrylab CAB-CSIC-INTA SpainThermogravimeter IAPS ItalyIcepropertiespackage(gravimeter,tiltmeter,radiotransponder,heatsensors)
Univ.RomaLaSapienza Italy
Magnetometer ImperialCollegeLondon UKRadiometer DLR Germany
SCIENTIFICREQUIRENMENTS
Scenariostoseekforsignsoflife:
-ifplumesexists(andtheirmaterialarefromthehabitablezone)*
-Freshmaterial
-Subsurfaceorigin:potentiallyanaqueousreservoir
-Detectionwithnorisk
-Detection limitofMSverylow
-ifplumesdoesnotexistàlanding (soft or hard)
-Samplinginsitu
-Selectionofsite:recentlyactive,shielded,
linkedwiththeocean
-Riskonsoftlanding
-Sampleconcentration.Diversepayload
SCENARIOS
SOURCEOFTHEPLUMES
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Whatifthereisnoevidencesoflife?
UNSUCCESFULMISSION?
QUESTION