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The Europa Clipper Mission

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Europa Mission Status Curt Niebur Program Scientist, NASA Headquarters Planetary Science Subcommittee Meeting September 29, 2016 Habitability: Ingredients for Life Water • Probable saltwater ocean, implied by surface geology and magnetic field • Possible lakes within the ice shell, produced by local melting ~ 100 K Chemistry • Ocean in direct contact with mantle rock, promoting chemical leaching • Dark red surface materials contain salts, probably from the ocean Energy • Chemical energy could sustain life • Surface irradiation creates oxidants • Mantle rock-water reactions could create reductants (hydrothermal or serpentinization) Geological activity “stirs the pot” Europa Flyby Mission will verify key habitability hypotheses Europa Programmatic Highlights Recent • NASA approved the Project's Acquisition Strategy Plan in June, 2016 – Project directed to JPL – Make/buy decisions at the subsystem level – Competitively selected instruments • Completed assessment of adding a Laser Altimeter to the mission, determined that it did not add enough science value for the added cost and complexity • Programmatic Analysis (cost and schedule) team kickoff – June • Completed detailed cost reviews between Project and each instrument, June – July Upcoming • Mission Design/System Requirements Review - January 2017 • Key Decision Point - B – April 2017 Europa Remote Sensing Instruments 4 Europa Mission Imaging Potential 1Europa6F11 Imaging Pot eSystemntia Narrowl Cov Angleera Camerage (E (16F11IS N tour)AC) 45°E 90°E 135°E 180° 135°W 90°W 45°W 0° 60°N 30°N 30°N 0° 0° 30°S 30°S 0° 45°E 0° 90°E 135°E 180° 135°W 90°W 180° 45°W 0° 30°W 30°E 150°W 150°E Pixel Scale (m/pixel) No Data 60°W 60°E 120°W 120°E 0 - 0.2 5 0.25 - 1 1 - 3 0°N 60°N 3 - 9 9 - 30 120°W 120°E 30 - 100 60°W 60°E 100 - 300 300 - 1000 150°W 150°E 30°W 30°E 5 180° Pre-decisional, for information and discussion purposes only. 0° Europa In Situ Instruments 6 Europa Clipper – Recent Accomplishments 5.0 m ICEMAG Boom Europa Configuration 16m REASON HF Antenna (2x) Solar Array Panels (8x) 2.2m x 4.1m each ~72 m2 area RAM Pointed Instruments Nadir Pointed Instruments S/C Height 4.6 m Solar Array Width 22.3m REASON VHF Antennas (4x) Europa Project Science Group Meeting #4 Ann Arbor, MI, July 19–21, 2016 • Project Presentation and Discussion topics: – Planetary Protection approach – Science Requirements status – Observation Timeline development – Introduction of new trajectory (16F11) – PSG “Rules of the Road” development • Science “workshop mode” discussions: – Considerations of how multiple flyby investigations address NASA’s “Ladder of Life” – Interior, Composition, and Geology Working Group topical science discussions (including community members by invitation) 9 Addressing the Ladder of Life: A Rough Cut First-order assessment by Europa Ladder Feature Clipper Target Science Team, led by Habitability Rung Working Group (Lunine, Hand co- Life (metabolism, growth, reproduction) Darwinian changes in heritable traits in chairs) Evolution response to selective pressures concurrent life stages or Growth and identifiable reproductive form EIS? Reproduction Colors refer to ability of Europa [growth and reproduction] Plumes, Patches [caveat on sensitivity needed to isotopes MISE?, SUDA?, MASPEX payload to address properties or conclude metabolic effect] co-located reductant and Metabolism UVS, MISE, SUDA, MASPEX [split oxidant (e.g. persistant H2 +/- Plumes, Patches, Surface [Green only with materials cited in "Feature" column: into yellow and green based on CH4 v. O2, nitrate, Fe3+, CO2) Plume!] plume] [Inferred Persistence] Blue: Payload provides a Suspicious biomaterials [not necessarily biogenic] comprehensive investigation that DNA RNA fully addresses Functional Molecules pigments EIS? Patches, Green: Two or more instruments structural preferences in organic molecules [non random MASPEX, SUDA, MISE Plumes, Patches can address and enhancing function) complex organics (peptides, MASPEX, SUDA, MISE Plumes, Patches Potential PAH, nucleic acids, hopanes) amino acids (e.g. glycine, Yellow: Two or more instruments Biomolecule MISE, SUDA, MASPEX Patches, Plumes, Components alanine) lipids (fatty acids, esters, MASPEX, SUDA, MISE Plumes, Patches can probably address (more work carboxylic acids) distribution of metals [e.g. required to confirm) vanadium in oil reserves or MISE, UVS, SUDA, MASPEX Patches, Plumes, others like Fe, Ni, Mo/W, Co, S, Se, P] General Red: cannot address or only one indicators patterns of complexity MISE, SUDA, MASPEX Patches, Plumes, instrument can possibly address (organics) chirality MISE? Patches, (more work required to confirm) Habitability water, presence of building MASPEX, SUDA, PIMS, ICEMAG, blocks for use, energy source, UVS, EIS, MISE, E-THEMIS, Plumes desirable, Surface, Patches, Sub-surface gradients REASON, Gravity, Concept of Operations: Simple & Repeatable • Occasional spacecraft scanning for distant observations and calibrations (>34,000 km) • Nadir-pointed orientation during flyby period (within ±34,000 km) • Solar panels parked for up to an hour bracketing closest approach (REASON, NAC) Time and Distance Relative to Closest Approach -12h -11h -10h -9h -8h -7h -6h -5h -4h -3h -2h -1h C/A 150k 100k 80k 66k 60k 40k 10k 1k Altitude (km) (-11.52h) (-7.44h) (-5.8h) (-4.8h) (-4.4h) (-2.9h) (-47m) (-8m) S/C Nadir-SunOpt Nadir-RamOpt Nadir-RamOpt Pointing Solar Arrays Tracking Hold Hold Parke d Europa-UVS Scan On Scan Scan Scan Nadir Stare EIS-NAC Survival Standby Gimbal EIS-WAC Survival PB E-THEMIS Survival Warm-up Cal Standby Image Acq (non-cont) Scan Image Acq (non-cont) MISE Cool-down Idle Global Cube Idle Cubes (~8% Duty Cycle) REASON Off ICEMAG Orbital Mode Flyby Mode (18 Re) PIMS Survey Mode Magnetospheric Mode Trans. Iono MASPEX Warm-up Decon Bkgrd Cal Sample SUDA Survival Gravity LGA 10° Angular Rad Off-Nadir5° S/C Turning & Instrument Instrument On Performing Instrument 2.5 deg of EuropaS/C Pointing Settling Calibration Observation/Activity No Conflict1 deg Warm-up 0° 60 60° Pre-decisional, for information and discussion purposes only. 10 50 40 30 20 Europa – Recent Accomplishments Solar Cell testing and selection • Low Intensity - Low Temperature (LILT) and radiation testing on candidate solar cells completed – ZTJ cells (SolAero’s version of triple junction cells) showed the best performance, with approximately 5% better performance than the other cells – Selection made and procurement awarded • Vendor will provide cells, cover glass, interconnects and will lay down the cells on the solar panels Europa Lander Concept Studies Europa Lander Science Definition Team • Science Definition Team (SDT) was formed to craft the science priorities of a Europa lander mission • SDT Charter includes science goals prioritized as: 1. Search for evidence of biomarkers and/or signs of extant life. 2. Assess the habitability (particularly through quantitative compositional measurements) of Europa via in situ techniques uniquely available by means of a landed mission. 3. Characterize surface properties at the scale of the lander to support future exploration. • SDT output: – Science-enabling mission requirements delivered Aug. 19 – Interim report due Sept. 30 – Final report due Nov. 30* • SDT progress is being regularly reported to the broad scientific community via meetings of OPAG, CAPS, etc. 14 Science Definition Team Co-Chairs: Alison Murray, DRI/Univ. NV Reno, Jim Garvin, GSFC; Kevin Hand, JPL • Ken Edgett, MSSS • Sarah Horst, JHU • Bethany Ehlmann, Caltech • Peter Willis, JPL • Jonathan Lunine, Cornell • Alex Hayes, Cornell • Alyssa Rhoden, ASU • Brent Christner, Univ FL • Will Brinkerhoff, GSFC • Chris German, WHOI • Alexis Templeton, CU • Aileen Yingst, PSI Boulder • David Smith, MIT • Michael Russell, JPL • Chris Paranicas, APL • Tori Hoehler, NASA Ames • Britney Schmidt, GA Tech • Ken Nealson, USC Planetary Scientists, Microbiologists, Geochemists from across the scientific community 15 Goal 1: Search for Evidence of Biosignatures and Signs of Life on Europa • abundances and patterns of potentially – Obj. 1: organic biogenic molecules indicators of life • enantiomeric ratios of chiral organics • carbon isotopic distribution among organic and inorganic carbon * – Obj. 2: morphological • resolve and characterize microscale and textural indicators of evidence for life in samples life • resolve and characterize the landing site for any macroscale morphological evidence for life * – Obj. 3: inorganic • Detect and characterize potential indicators of life biominerals – Obj. 4: provenance of • Determine the geological context from which sample samples are collected • Determine endogenous versus exogenous origin (chemistry), surface processing of – Obj. 5: persistence of potential biosignatures life in sample • Detect activity indicative of biological processes such as motion, change, metabolism* Life Detection • Credibly achieving the primary goal (search for evidence of biomarkers and/or signs of extant life) requires broad consensus on the definition of: – The type of evidence that would be indicative of life; – The appropriate measurement and sampling techniques used to look for that evidence; and – The instruments used to take those measurements and samples. • The Astrobiology community has been discussing these topics and NASA has been investing in technology development for over a decade. • NASA has accelerated discourse and investment in this area, including: – COLDTech program and refocusing of Picasso and Matisse programs; – Discussions with STMD on Centennial
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