Enceladus Life Finder: The search for life in a habitable Moon

• Published in: 2016 IEEE Aerospace Conference pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Reh, Kim, Lunine, Jonathan I., Cable, Morgan L., Spilker, Linda, Waite, J. Hunter, Postberg, Frank, Clark, Karla
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Extraterrestrial measurements; Geophysical measurement techniques; Ground penetrating radar; Instruments; Oceans; Sea measurements; Solar system
• DOI: 10.1109/AERO.2016.7500813

Enceladus is one of the most intriguing bodies in the solar system. In addition to having one of the brightest and youngest surfaces, this small Saturnian moon was recently discovered to have a plume erupting from its south polar terrain and a global subsurface ocean. The Cassini Mission discovered organics and nitrogen-bearing molecules in the plume, as well as salts and silicates that strongly suggest ocean water in contact with a rocky core. However, Cassini's instruments lack sufficient resolution and mass range to determine if these organics are of biotic origin. The Enceladus Life Finder (ELF) is a Discovery-class mission that would use two state-of-the-art mass spectrometers to target the gas and grains of the plume and search for evidence of life in this alien ocean.