Enceladus Life Finder E L F Ara Bablouzian Yifang Cao C.J. Hansen

Cassini 2005-present Launched 1997 Expected end of life 2017

Molecules necessary for life (2008) Ions in plumes (2008) Cassini Findings

Molecules necessary for life (2008) Ions in plumes (2008) Cassini Findings

Why a new mission? ● Cassini was not equipped for finding life - ELF will have spectrometers tuned for finding signs of life ● MASPEX (optimized for gas) will have 250x better resolution and 100,000x better sensitivity than Cassini ● ENIJA (optimized for solid particles) will have 30x better resolution and 100x better sensitivity than Cassini

Why a new mission? ● Cassini was not equipped for finding life - ELF will have spectrometers tuned for finding signs of life ● MASPEX (optimized for gas) will have 250x better resolution and 100,000x better sensitivity than Cassini ● ENIJA (optimized for solid particles) will have 30x better resolution and 100x better sensitivity than Cassini

● Flyby’s - collect samples from plumes without landing ● 10 fly-bys over 3 years ● Baseline science completed in 4 fly-bys

Science goals 1. Measure abundances of neutral species to find out whether organics and volatiles have been thermally altered over time 2. Determine details of interior marine environment: pH, oxidation state, available chemical energy, and temperature—that allows us to assess its habitability-- Cassini was not equipped for this 3. Looks for indications that its organics are the result of biological processes

Science goals 1. Measure abundances of neutral species to find out whether organics and volatiles have been thermally altered over time 2. Determine details of interior marine environment: pH, oxidation state, available chemical energy, and temperature—that allows us to assess its habitability-- Cassini was not equipped for this 3. Looks for indications that its organics are the result of biological processes

Tests for Life 1. Amino acid pattern deviates from abiotic 2. Repeating subunit and clustering in membrane- building molecules 3. Combined isotopic and compositional trends Bonus: Chirality of amino acids

Tests for Life 1. Amino acid pattern deviates from abiotic 2. Repeating subunit and clustering in membrane- building molecules 3. Combined isotopic and compositional trends Bonus: Chirality of amino acids

Answer important science questions (Priority Questions for Planetary Science) What were the primordial sources of organic matter? Are there habitats today in the solar system that support life and do organisms live there now?