Richards, Grace

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Open Research OnlineThe Open University’s repository of research publicationsand other research outputsLooking for life: Unlocking the secrets of Enceladus’surfaceOtherHow to cite:Richards, Grace (2020). Looking for life: Unlocking the secrets of Enceladus’ surface. The Open University.For guidance on citations see FAQs.c© [not recorded]Version: PosterCopyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyrightowners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policiespage.oro.open.ac.ukSilicate core radius 160km[1]Hydrothermal vents?[3]As Enceladus orbits Saturn, material from the E-ring is redeposited onto the surface[6]Salt water ocean  30-40km[2]Feeds Saturn’s E-ring[6]Ice grains and gases transported through vents[4]Icy crust  20km[2]Material deposited onto surface[5]PlumeAt the South Pole of EnceladusNot to scaleSpace weathering E-ring grains[6]Micrometeoroid impactsHigh energy particlesPlume deposits[5]Aims of PhDDevelop protocols and instrumentation which could extract volatiles and analyse the icy surface of Enceladus: Establish representative ice compositions and determine if this could be indicative of habitability beneath the icy crust Develop apparatus and methods to grow ices in the lab Evaluate how composition is affected by space weathering processes Design a mass spectrometry-based instrument to analyse volatile components of ice  Benchmark the performance of the instrument against commercial laboratory equipmentBy theoretical modelling and laboratory simulations, I will determine how space weathering affects surface composition. Understanding how these processes affect the satellite is vital to developing instrumentation best suited to analysing surface components.Why go to Enceladus?Enceladus is an icy moon of Saturn. It has a deep subsurface liquid saltwater ocean and plumes which eject material thousands of kilometres into space via fractures in the icy crust[12]. There is evidence for hydrothermal activity in the rocky core[3] and water-rock interactions which could provide the ideal chemical conditions required for life[13].Earth Liquid water Organic compounds Energy source (i.e. Sun)Enceladus Liquid water[12] Organic compounds (in plumes[14]) Hydrothermal vents[3]What do we expect to find? Water[7] Carbon Dioxide[7] Organics?[7] Ammonia?[7] Tholins?[8] Iron?[9] Hydrogen peroxide?[10] Methanol?[11]Data for the surface composition comes from spectroscopy in the mid IR through to the far UV range. The only components which have been firmly identified are H2O and CO2. Plumes may deposit material and space weathering is expected to modify this[5].Looking for life: Unlocking the secrets of Enceladus’ surfaceGrace RichardsRequirements for life[1] Nimmo, F et al. (2006) Nature 442: 614-616 [2] Thomas, P et al. (2016) Icarus 264 [3] H, Hsu et al. (2015) Nature 519: 207-210 [4] Postberg, F et al. (2009) Nature 459 1098-1101 [5] Jaumman, R et al. (2008) Icarus 193 407-419 [6] Kempf, S et al. (2010) Nature 206 446-457 [7] Brown, R et al. (2006) Science 311 1425-1428 [8] Hendrix, A et al. (2010) Icarus 206 608-617 [9] Kempf, S et al. (2005) Science 307 1274-1276 [10] Newman, S et al. (2007) The Astrophysical Journal 670 143-146 [11] Hodyss, R (2009) Geophysical Research Letters 36 17 [12] Porco, C et al. (2006) Science 311 1393-1401 [13] Waite, J et al. (2017) Science 356 155-159 [14] Waite, J et al. (2006) Science 311 1419-1422

Looking for life: Unlocking the secrets of Enceladus' surface

http://oro.open.ac.uk/71308/1/Grace%20Richards.pdf

Looking for life: Unlocking the secrets of Enceladus' surface

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