Stéphanie Cazaux and Niels Ligterink have received funding from NWO under the National Science Agenda (NWA) for their research project “The Search for Life on Icy Moons.” This project, part of NWA Route 15: Origins of Life – on Earth and in the Universe, focuses on how to sample material from the plumes escaping Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. The funding will support the hiring of a postdoctoral researcher.
Ingredients for life
Most of the oceans in our Solar System lie beneath thick ice sheets on moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. These oceans, warmed by tidal forces and shielded from sunlight, are promising candidates for hosting extraterrestrial life. On Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, water escapes through surface fractures, forming geysers. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft flew through these plumes and detected salt and complex organic molecules, indicating that ingredients essential for life could be present in the moon’s ocean. Following these discoveries, ESA and NASA have prioritised a return mission to assess the moon’s habitability.
Gentle sampling of icy particles
A future ESA mission to Enceladus will collect and analyse material (icy particles and gas) from the plumes to search for signs of life. Sampling the plumes’ icy particles at high velocities without altering their chemical composition remains a major challenge. While instruments like the Extraterrestrial Molecular Sensing Chip, developed by Niels Ligterink, are designed for chemical analysis, methods for collecting and melting the particles without degradation are still lacking.
Advancing space exploration
The findings will directly influence the design of ESA’s L4 mission to Enceladus by ensuring that sampling techniques are effective in capturing and analysing plume material. Beyond this, the project will contribute to fields such as cryovolcanism, planetary geology, and extreme environment research. The development of new sampling technologies may even inspire innovations in industries requiring precision engineering in extreme conditions.
Source: TU Delft – TU Delft researchers receive NWO funding to study life on icy moons