The Enceladus Orbilander Mission

TL;DR

NASA's decadal survey prioritizes missions to study Uranus and determine if Enceladus has life.

Transcript

Several days ago the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine released their decadal survey for Planetary Science and Astrobiology outlining a plan for what to prioritize for the period of 2023 to 2032. These decadal surveys are sought by NASA to determine which missions should take priority as far as funding. While not bound to the ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🦮 NASA's decadal survey guides funding priorities for planetary science and astrobiology missions.
• 🚨 Studying Uranus can shed light on ice giant planets, which may be common in the universe.
• 👨‍🔬 The Enceladus Orbilander mission aims to directly search for microbial life in the moon's subsurface ocean.
• 👽 Landing on Enceladus will provide the opportunity to explore an alien-looking landscape and potentially capture images of surface features and potential life.
• 🥶 Enceladus's plumes offer an accessible route to studying its subsurface ocean without drilling through the ice.
• 🤘 A suite of instruments, including a mass spectrometer and microscope, will be used to search for signs of life on Enceladus.
• 🛬 Approval and funding are necessary for the Enceladus Orbilander mission, which could delay its arrival at Saturn until 2040 or later.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is studying Uranus a priority in the decadal survey?

Despite being less famous than other planets, Uranus is poorly understood, and studying it could offer insights into the ice giant class of planets, which may be common in the universe.

Q: How will the Enceladus Orbilander mission search for life on the moon?

The Enceladus Orbilander mission will sample the moon's plumes, which originate from its subsurface ocean and interact with space. The mission's instruments, like a mass spectrometer and microscope, will search for signs of life.

Q: How will the Enceladus Orbilander mission land on the moon's surface?

The mission will spend 200 days orbiting Enceladus to determine a suitable landing site. It will then use a navigation system similar to the Osiris-Rex mission to land and begin operations on the surface.

Q: Why is Enceladus chosen over other ice shell moons like Europa?

Enceladus's plumes provide easy access to its subsurface ocean without the need to drill through the ice, reducing the risk of contamination. Additionally, the mission's numerous experiments on Enceladus make it a prime candidate for studying life detection.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine released a decadal survey for Planetary Science and Astrobiology, outlining priorities for 2023-2032.

• A mission to study Uranus, including an atmospheric probe and orbiter, takes the top spot, as Uranus is one of the least understood planets.

• The second priority is a mission to determine if Enceladus has life, offering a unique opportunity to directly search for microbial life in its subsurface ocean.