Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.1602t&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #16.02
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Enceladus, a small icy moon of Saturn, is one of NASA outer planet life search targets and unique in its current active jets. As with comets, this enables a low-cost flyby sample return mission like STARDUST. Samples from Enceladus will expand our in-depth knowledge of "life” and allow us to effectively plan for future missions.
Cassini found Enceladus’ jets composed of fine icy particules and hydrocarbons. Saturn's E ring is sustained by these jets for at least the last 300 years. Clearly there is a subsurface heat source generating such jets. Several theories for the origin of life on Earth would also apply to Enceladus; thus, obtaining the samples from the plume will provide breakthrough understandings of the nature of current or past life markers.
The highly detailed analyses of Apollo and STARDUST samples revolutionized our knowledge of the Moon and comets and provided fundamental insights into remarkable processes that occur early in the formation of the Solar System. These in-depth analyses are not possible with astronomical remote sensing or in-situ instrumentations. Since the duration of these plumes is unknown, it is imperative to capture these samples by the earliest flight opportunity- the Discovery AO by the fall of 2009.
For LIFE, we have a trajectory to encounter the plume at less than 4 km/s ensuring a more gentle capture of organics than STARDUST at 6 km/s. With less than 14-year mission duration, the samples can be returned to Earth before 2029. By capitalizing on the STARDUST heritage of design-to-cost mindset, the mission cost can be controlled. For cost reduction, the upcoming Discovery AO offers unique free ASRGs and allows the use of Jupiter for gravity assist.
Kanic I.
Lane Charles
Sotin Ch.
Spilker Linda
Spilker Thomas
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