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Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan

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Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan OPAG, 21 August 2019 Shannon M. MacKenzie (Co-Investigator) on Behalf of the Dragonfly Team The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaBoratory [email protected] Proprietary Information Dragonfly Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan OPAG, 21 August 2019 Shannon M. MacKenzie (Co-Investigator) on Behalf of the Dragonfly Team The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaBoratory [email protected] Proprietary Information Dragonfly Huygens Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan OPAG, 21 August 2019 Shannon M. MacKenzie (Co-Investigator) on Behalf of the Dragonfly Team The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaBoratory [email protected] Proprietary Information The Dragonfly Team PI DPI DPI PM PS DPS MSE SSE E. Turtle M. Trainer J. Barnes P. Bedini R. Lorenz S. Murchie K. Hibbard D. Adams Will Brinckerhoff Jeff Johnson Rich Miller Lynnae Quick Angela Stickle Morgan Cable Erich Karkoschka Catherine Neish Jani Radebaugh Ellen Stofan Carolyn Ernst Jack Langelaan Claire Newman Scot Rafkin Cyril Szopa Caroline Freissinet David Lawrence Jorge Núñez Mike Ravine Tetsuya Tokano Kevin Hand Alice LeGall Jose Palacios Sven Schmitz Colin Wilson Alex Hayes Juan Lora Mark Panning Jason Soderblom Mike Wright Sarah Horst Shannon MacKenzie Ann Parsons Hiroaki Shiraishi Aileen Yingst Helen Hwang Chris McKay Patrick Peplowski Kristin Sotzen Kris Zacny …. + Proprietary Information 4 Titan’s atmosphere produces complex organics Molecular Complexity (amu) 1010 Carbon Abundance (GT) 10,000-1010 1030 (e.g., DNA) 100,000 1025 1,000-10,000 1020 (e.g. Proteins) 1015 1,000 1010 100-1,000 (e.g. Amino Acids) 105 100 0 100 Proprietary Information 5 Titan’s surface processes rework complex organics R = 5 G = 2 B = 1.3 Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer August 21, 2014 Proprietary Information 6 Titan’s surface processes rework complex organics Cassini RADAR February 15, 2005 Proprietary Information 7 Titan offers the next step to answer fundamental questions What makes a planet or moon habitable? What chemical processes led to the development of life? Has life developed elsewhere in our solar system? Proprietary Information 8 Titan offers the next step to answer fundamental questions • Prebiotic chemistry Analyze chemical components and processes at work that produce biologically relevant compounds • Habitable environments Measure atmospheric conditions, identify methane reservoirs, and determine transport rates Constrain processes that mix organics with past surface liquid water reservoirs or subsurface ocean • Search for biosignatures Search for chemical evidence of water- or hydrocarbon-based life Proprietary Information 9 E–10 min EI=1270 km Mission Timeline E+6 min • Launch in 2026 à Titan h=134 km arrival in 2034 Direct atmospheric entry Similar latitude, time of year as descent of Huygens probe E+88 min • Over 2.5 years of h=4 km exploration, covering terrain over 10s – 100s of km E+105 min h=1.2 km Proprietary Information 10 23 July 2019 Proprietary Information L'SPACE Academy 11 Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer NASA GSFC DraMS MOMA Trainer et al., 2017 SAM • Instrument lead: Melissa Trainer 160 • dual source linear ion trap mass ) 1 140 spectrometer - 120 Laser Desorption (kJ mol v Gas chromatography 100 Laser Desorption SAM, MOMA heritage 80 60 • Explore the nature and origin of complex molecules Derivatiz. 40 compositional survey 20 Pyrolysis Enthalpy of Vaporization DH Enthalpy of Vaporization organic molecular structural analysis 0 selective, compound-specific 10 100 1000 measurements of primordial, prebiotic and Molecular Weight (Da) biologically relevant molecules Proprietary Information 12 EUROPA LANDER SCIENCE DEFINITION TEAM REPORT 4-13 flight, are capable of addressing the MS requirements within the molecular analysis measure- ment objective. Various MS systems may also offer design flexibility to enable additional, en- hanced Europa lander science, such as direct analysis of neutral or ion composition of the near-surface atmosphere/exosphere, or spatially resolved sample analysis using focused laser or other beam ionization. Investigation 1A2: Determine the types, relative abundances, and enantiomeric ratios of any amino acids in the sampled material. Some compounds employed in Earth’s biochemistry – for example, sugars and most amino acids – are chiral. Chiral compounds can exist in either of two configurations (enantiomers) that represent non-superimposable mirror images of one another (Figure 4.1.6). In the case of amino acids, known abiotic mechanisms of synthesis generate nearly equal amounts of the Dragonflytwo possible Mass enantiomers Spectrometer (D and L). In meteorites, the D and L forms are generally also pre- NASA GSFCsent in approximately equivalent amounts, although excesses of the L enantiomer ranging DraMS from 1–15% have been observedMOMA among the -methyl amino acid series (Pizzarello, 2006) and Trainer et al.,up 2017 to 21%SAM for the non-proteinogenic amino acid isovaline (Elsila et al., 2016). In an analysis 160 of the Tagish Lake Meteorite, unusually large L- ) 1 140 - enantiomeric excesses ranging from 43–45% were120 reported for glutamic acid in which the (kJ mol v 13 C-content100 confirmed its meteoritic origin (Glavin et al., 2012). Laser Desorption 80 60 In contrast, biological materials on Earth Derivatiz. are composed40 almost exclusively of the L-enan- tiomer (D/L ~0.02; Aubrey, 2008) and recent 20 e.g., amino acids Pyrolysis Enthalpy of Vaporization DH Enthalpy of Vaporization work suggests that such homochirality is re- 0 Hand et al. 2017 quired10 for the proper100 folding and 1000function of Europa Lander SDT Report proteins in biochemistryMolecular Weight (Da)across the three do- mains of life on Earth. For this reason, it is sug- Proprietary Information 13 gested that a large enantiomeric excess (ee) in multiple different amino acid types would constitute strong evidence for biology (Halpern, 1969; Kvenvolden, 1973; Bada et al., 1996; Bada and McDonald, 1996). Bacteria however, also incorporate non- proteinogenic D-amino acids (aspartic acid, as- paragine, glutamic acid, glutamine, serine, and al- anine) as components of bacterial biomolecules such as peptidoglycan, polypeptide, teichoic SCIENCE OF THE EUROPA LANDER MISSION – 4 | Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics Honeybee Robotics Instrument lead: Kris Zacny Proprietary Information 14 Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics Honeybee Robotics Proprietary Information 15 Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics Honeybee Robotics Proprietary Information 16 Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics Honeybee Robotics Proprietary Information 17 Dragonfly Gammra-ray and Neutron Spectrometer APL+LLNL, GSFC+ Schlumberger • Instrument lead: David Lawrence • BYON: Pulse Neutron Generator • Determine bulk elemental and inorganic composition • Characterize water ice/organic layering beneath rotorcraft Proprietary Information Dragonfly Camera Suite Malin Space Science Systems Panorama 2 m • Instrument lead: Mike Ravine • Characterize samples • Provide geological context Forward Downward Microscopic from sample to local landing site • Identify geological processes 20 cm 20 cm 2 mm Proprietary Information Dragonfly Camera Suite Malin Space Science Systems LED illuminated mixture of water ice (white) and two tholin flavors (orange + yellow) tonic water RGB = 0.935, 0.770, 0.455 μm (quinine) terrestrial silicate coronene sand (97%) phenanthrene detergent w/ (95%) brightening agent 2 mm Lorenz et al. 2017 MacKenzie, Nunez, et al. 2019 Proprietary Information Dragonfly Geophysics and Meteorology Package APL sensor suite + JAXA Lunar-A seismometer • Instrument lead: Ralph Lorenz • Monitor atmospheric conditions, identify methane reservoirs, and determine transport rates T, P, CH 4, wind speed & direction Diurnal and spatial variations; atmospheric profiles • Constrain regolith properties (e.g., porosity) Thermal diffusivity, dielectric constant • Constrain processes that mix organics with past surface liquid water or subsurface ocean E-Field (Schumann resonance), seismic activity Proprietary Information 21 First Landing: Dunes south of Selk Crater • Access to organic sediments and water ice component materials Organic Sand Interdunes Ejecta Blanket Impact Melt Proprietary Information 22 Mission Operations • “Leapfrog” exploration strategy to scout future landing sites • 16-day Titan sols (Tsols) & orbital period Cruise at 400 m above takeoff Survey prospective Energy-optimal future site climb at 20° Land at previously surveyed site Dune Dune ~8.0 km ~8.0 km Landing Takeoff Candidate Landing Site Proprietary Information 23 Exploration and discovery on an ocean world to determine how far chemistry has progressed in environments providing key ingredients for life Proprietary Information http://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu 24.
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