OceanBiomoleculeExplorerforAstrobiologyTheOceanBiomoleculeExplorerforAstrobiologyisalifedetec;oninstrumentsuitedesignedtowardsanOceanWorldssurfacemission.Theinstrumentsuitereliesonthemodifica;onofcommercialoff-the-shelf(COTS)instrumentscombinedwithnewlydevelopedbiochemicalanalysismethodstopaintapictureofthebiologicalrealmonEuropa’sOceanWorld.Thissearchforextantlifereliesonourunderstandingandassump;onsofEuropawithinthecontextofEarthsbiochemistryandknownmetabolicprocess.Togainanini;alpictureofEuropalife,ifpresent,theinstrumentsuiteisdesignedtodetectarangeoftargetsassociatedwithlifeonEarthincludingbasicbiomoleculesaswellastheyieldfromcomplexmetabolicprocess.Theinstrumentsuitewillbothdetectthepresenceofextantlifeandprovideinsightintoevolu;onaryprocessontheOceanWorld.

1.   DeterminethechemistryoftheOcean.–determinecons;tuentswithinthebrine.i.e.Salts,oxidants,CHNOPStoassesforhabitability.RetegoLabsAdvancedSpectrometerandNewNoseinstrument.2.DetectAminoAcidsanddeterminechirality(enan8omer)–detectaminoacidsifpresent.NewNoseinstrument.3.DetectBiomarkers-Determinepresenceofbiomoleculesthatareubiquitousanduniqueindica;nglifeandmetabolicac;vity.Forexamplenucleicacids(ubiquitous),andF420(uniquetomethanogens),Sreducers,etc..Photosynthesis,chemosynthesis,Krebscyclebyproductsmetabolism.–RetegoLabsAdvancedSpectrometer.

Theengineeringdesignoftheinstrumentsuitewillbedesignedtofitwithinapor;onoftheresourcealloca;onofthecurrentbestes;matesoftheEuropalanderpayload(26.6Kg,24,900cm3,2,500W-hrsand2700Mbits).Theinstrumentpackageprototypeproposedherewillaimtoachievethefollowingengineeringparameters:5kgmass,50cm3,5wa^s,and4MbitsforsuitabilitytoproposeasaEuropaLanderpayloadinstrument.Theinstrumentpackagewillbedesignedtoensureplanetaryprotec;onismaintainedandwillfunc;onunderthecurrentEuropalandermissionopera;onsscenarioofatwo-yearcruisephase,and30-daysurfaceopera;onalphaseonEuropa.

Tounderstandthepoten;almicrobiomeoftheEuropasurfaceandocean,wefirsttakealookatourcurrentunderstandingoftheastrobiologicalrelevanceofEuropacomparedtoEarth.OnEarthallknownliferequiresthreeessen;alingredients:1)abuildingstructure-carbonsource,2)anenergysource-photoandchemo,and3)liquidwater.Europahasallthreeoftheseingredientsforlife:1)waterbrineocean,2)Energyfrom;dalpullandSun,and3.Carbonfromice-photochemicalreac;onsandrockycore.ImageryandSpectroscopyfromtheGalileospacecrabprovidespecula;ontothecomposi;onoftheEuropa’ssurfaceice.HydratedsaltsmagnesiumandsodiumsulfateshavebeenpostulatedonthesurfaceofEuropabytheGalileoNear-InfraredMappingSpectrometer(NIMS)instrumentabsorp;onfeaturesindica;veofwaterinnon-icehydrates(McCordetal.1998,1999,Orlandoetal.2005,Shirleyetal.2010,Pappalardoetal.2013).Oxidizedspeciessuchashydrogenperoxide,carbondioxide,sulfurdioxide,sulfuricacid,andoxygenhavebeensuggested(Carlsonet.al,1999and2002)tocomprisethedarkermaterial.Theinstrumentsuitecandetecttheseoxidantsandthemicrobialloadat103cells/gramequivalent.

References:Carlson,R.W.,etal.(1999)HydrogenperoxideonthesurfaceofEuropa.Science283:2062–2064.Carlson,R.W.,etal.(2002)Sulfuricacidproduc;ononEuropa:theradiolysisofsulfurinwaterice.Icarus157:456–463.McCord,T.B.,etal.(1998)SaltsonEuropa’ssurfacedetectedbyGalileo’sNear-InfraredMappingSpectrometer.Science280:1242–1245.McCord,T.B.etal.(1999)HydratedsaltmineralsonEuropa’ssurfacefromtheGalileoNear-InfraredMappingSpectrometer(NIMS)inves;ga;on.JGeophysRes104:11827–11851.Orlando,T.M.,etal.(2005)ThechemicalnatureofEuropasurfacematerialandtherela;ontoasubsurfaceocean.Icarus177:528–533.Pappalardo,R.T.,etal.2013.Sciencepoten;alfromaEuropalander.Astrobiology,13(8),pp.740-773.

H.D. Smith1 A. G. Duncan2, C.R. Lloyd2, and L. Merrill2 1. Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Ca 94035, 2. Retego Labs, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84341

•  COTSinstrumentdesignedforbrinewateranalysisfortheminingindustry.Over25assaysdeveloped

•  2yearshelfstablereagent

mixtures.

•  Hand-held,ba^erypowered.operatesincoldenvironmentsonEarth(-4oC)

ImageGalileoPIA02590