{"id":793813,"date":"2025-02-22T14:08:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T19:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=793813"},"modified":"2025-02-22T14:08:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T19:08:03","slug":"sampling-enceladus-subsurface-ocean-with-tigre-mission-concept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=793813","title":{"rendered":"Sampling Enceladus\u2019 Subsurface Ocean with TIGRE Mission Concept"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>How can we explore Saturn\u2019s moon, Enceladus, to include its surface and subsurface ocean, with the goal of potentially discovering life as we know it? This is what a recent study presented at the <em>American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2024 Fall Meeting<\/em> hopes to address as a team of students and researchers proposed the Thermal Investigation of Geothermal Regions of Enceladus (TIGRE) mission concept, which is designed to conduct in-depth exploration of Enceladus with an orbiter, lander, and drill, while laying the groundwork for future missions to icy moons throughout the solar system.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-171049\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here, <em>Universe Today<\/em> discusses this incredible mission concept with Prabhleen Kour, who is a senior at River Valley High School in Yuba City, CA, and lead author of the study, regarding the motivation behind TIGRE, how TIGRE can improve upon findings from NASA\u2019s now-retired Cassini mission, potential landing sites on Enceladus, how TIGRE can improve missions to other icy moons, the next steps in making TIGRE a reality, and whether she thinks Enceladus has life. Therefore, what was the motivation behind TIGRE?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TIGRE: Exploring Enceladus\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/m0YNhQ_HVH4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTIGRE mission was born during our time with the NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) program in collaboration with UT Austin\u2019s Center for Space Research,\u201d Kour tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cAs part of our internship, our team was tasked to design a space mission within our solar system based on a few assigned parameters. The designed mission had to be aligned to current work being performed by NASA but separate from active missions such as the Europa Clipper. Similarly, the main subject of our mission, Enceladus, and our goals with it, had to be chosen in accordance with the Decadal Survey which dictates what missions and priorities space agencies have. In our case, we were driven to explore a celestial body that might hold the signs of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The TIGRE mission concept comes more than seven years after NASA\u2019s Cassini-Huygen mission ended by performing an intentional dive into Saturn, resulting in Cassini breaking apart in Saturn\u2019s atmosphere. During its storied mission, Cassini spent more than 13 years conducting the most in-depth exploration of Saturn and its many moons, including Titan, Mimas, Atlas, Daphnis, Pandora, Iapetus, Rhea, Dione, Pan, Hyperion, and Enceladus.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Saturn&#039;s Moons as Seen by Cassini\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WWLz2hj1fc8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Of these moons, Titan and Enceladus are the only two that exhibit potential conditions for life, as Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere and contains lakes of liquid methane and ethane, while Enceladus boasts a large subsurface ocean that discharge geysers of liquid water from its large crevices in its south pole, dubbed Tiger Stripes. It is the geysers of Enceladus that Cassini not only discovered but flew through twice during its mission, identifying water, carbon dioxide, and a myriad of hydrocarbons and organic materials, the last of which exhibited density 20 times greater than predicted. Therefore, how does TIGRE improve upon findings from the Cassini mission?<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image of Enceladus\u2019 south pole geysers obtained by NASA\u2019s Cassini spacecraft in June 2009. (Credit: NASA\/JPL\/Space Science Institute) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThough Cassini\u2019s flyby was incredible and provided us with great information, TIGRE aims to get an incredibly close look at Enceladus\u2019 secrets,\u201d Kour tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cSince TIGRE is designed to go on the surface of Enceladus, it will get more of the \u2018inside scoop\u2019 than Cassini. Cassini has already helped us by identifying the organic molecules contained within the ocean, now we want to explore other factors that might make life possible on Enceladus. We are planning to locate any potential regions of interest and stability of habitable zones, analyze samples for organic\/inorganic indicators of prebiotic lifeforms, and utilize our findings for future missions. The TIGRE mission contains a drill design, which will reach the subsurface ocean and collect water samples for elements such as CHONPS.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chemicals for Life Found on Enceladus\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DgQexNb0_0s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Enceladus\u2019 Tiger Stripes consist of four main features officially named Damascus Sulcus, Baghdad Sulcus, Cairo Sulcus, and Alexandria Sulcus, with a smaller feature branching off Alexandria called Camphor Sulcus (sulcus being plural for sulci and is an astrogeology term meaning parallel ridges), and are responsible for the geysers that discharge Enceladus\u2019 interior ocean into space. The thickness of the ice in this region is estimated to be approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Since one of the primary goals of the TIGRE mission is to obtain drill samples of the ocean and identify potential signs of life, the team targeted the Tiger Stripes as potential landing sites for a craft to land and obtain samples of the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>To accomplish this, the team outlined specific landing site criteria to maximize mission success, including landing on relatively flat terrain near a geyser, but not directly on a geyser, to avoid being damaged by uneven terrain or disrupted during geyser activity. Additionally, they determined a low-elevation region would be substantial to minimize the amount of ice the drill would have to penetrate to obtain samples. In the end, the team chose a primary landing site located near the Baghdad stripe that met their landing criteria, located approximately 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) from a geyser and a surface elevation of approximately 450 meters (1,476 feet), along with potential backup landing sites.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Enceladus-PIA07800-labeled-750.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171053\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Enceladus-PIA07800-labeled-750.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Enceladus-PIA07800-labeled-750-580x424.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Enceladus-PIA07800-labeled-750-250x183.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Enceladus\u2019 Tiger Stripes. (Credit: NASA\/JPL\/Space Science Institute)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cOur decision to land near the Baghdad stripe was due to the following: Flat terrain to prevent lander damage, proximity to a geyser, and low elevation to minimize drilling distance,\u201d Kour tells <em>Universe Today.<\/em> \u201cAny other location that met these requirements were deemed as backups. We analyzed multiple different locations throughout the four stripes, and there were a few that met the requirements on the Cairo stripe. More specifically, one location of interest was between a large geyser and a smaller geyser on the Cario stripe. However, because the location on the Baghdad stripe was close to multiple other smaller geysers, we chose the Baghdad location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As noted, Enceladus isn\u2019t the only moon of Saturn that is deemed to potentially have life, as its largest moon, Titan, has a dense and hazy atmosphere caused by specific chemical reactions that scientists have hypothesized existed on early Earth. Additionally, its lakes of liquid methane and ethane have also become prime targets for astrobiologists. Outside of the Saturn system, other icy moons exist throughout the solar system that potentially once had life or could have life today, including Jupiter\u2019s moons, Europa and Ganymede, with both presenting evidence of subsurface oceans circulating beneath their icy crusts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Exploring The Galilean Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j3sZdKJdGxE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Venturing closer to the Sun and inside the main asteroid belt orbits the dwarf planet Ceres, which NASA\u2019s Dawn spacecraft identified frozen salts caused by a process known as cryovolcanism. Current models debate the interior structure of Ceres, but it is hypothesized that it once had liquid water long ago. Finally, venturing to the outer portions of the solar system orbits Neptune\u2019s moon, Triton, which NASA\u2019s Voyager 2 spacecraft identified active geysers on its surface comprised of cryolava lakes. Since one of the primary mission objectives of TIGRE is to improve future missions to icy moons, how will it accomplish this?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe mission will help advance remote sensing, orbiting, landing, and thermal drilling technologies, setting a precedent for future exploration,\u201d Kour tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cTIGRE consists of three main components: the orbiter, lander, and drill. This design is not limited to Enceladus\u2019 surface alone. Instead, this design can be applicable to many other icy surfaces, including those on Earth like Antarctica and other icy moons. Data from the lander\u2019s sampling devices, thermal drill, and the orbiter\u2019s remote sensing will provide comprehensive insights into the composition and formation of Enceladus\u2019s subsurface ocean. These findings could also inform our understanding of other icy moons, broadening our knowledge of potentially habitable environments in the outer Solar System.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Enceladus Vent Explorer: An interview with Dr. Hiro Ono\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xzv7ukbEVh8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>As <em>Universe Today<\/em> recently discussed with the VATMOS-SR mission concept, it can take anywhere from years to decades for a space mission to go from a concept to reality, involving a myriad of steps and phases, including design, funding rounds, testing, re-designs, re-testing, until it\u2019s finally built and launched. This is followed by several years of traveling to the destination, arriving, and finally collecting science.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the Cassini-Huygens mission was first proposed in 1982 and wasn\u2019t launched until 1997, during which time it endured several years of studies and swapped between a solo NASA mission or a joint NASA-European Space Agency mission, the latter of which was settled upon. After launching in 1997, Cassini finally arrived at Saturn in July 2004, landing the Huygens probe on Titan in January 2005, and spent until 2017 obtaining treasure troves of images and data about Saturn and its many moons, even discovering a few moons along the way and diving through Enceladus\u2019 plumes. Given the journey that Cassini endured, what are the next steps in making TIGRE a reality?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Deep  Dive into Enceladus Plume\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BZ1KowQXc3Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOne of the first steps in making TIGRE a reality is waiting for the completion of the Europa Clipper mission,\u201d Kour tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cIn waiting for the mission\u2019s completion, we will be able to see what worked and failed to gather useful samples and what failed to navigate space\u2019s harsh environment. In the meantime, we can advocate for the significance of finding life to enlarge NASA\u2019s budget for active missions. This itself would be a step towards launching the TIGRE mission by opening the resources for improving and testing our mission\u2019s main components (the orbiter, lander, and drill) against the extreme cold, ocean waters, and radiation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As noted, Enceladus is a prime target for astrobiologists in the search for life beyond Earth due to its vast subsurface ocean circulating beneath its icy shell. As demonstrated here on Earth, liquid water leads to life as we know it, so Enceladus having a liquid water ocean, even a subsurface ocean, is a strong indicator that it could potentially also have life as we know it, too.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hydrothermal vents in the oceans of icy moons (3. Enceladus)\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LQAO2sLDPsc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The hydrocarbons discovered by Cassini when the spacecraft flew through Enceladus\u2019 plumes included carbon-bearing molecules like formaldehyde, acetylene, propane, and methane, which is evidence for hydrothermal activity occurring on the ocean floor of Enceladus, much like hydrothermal activity exists on the ocean floors of Earth, specifically regarding the water-rock interactions that occur here, as well. Therefore, in Kour\u2019s opinion, does Enceladus have life and what kinds of life does she foresee finding within their potential TIGRE samples?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is not a stretch of reason to state Enceladus could harbor life,\u201d Kour tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cAs previously mentioned, Enceladus has the components for life through key elements and has the energy activity to make the possibility of life more plausible. Within the depths of its oceans, Enceladus may very well have life. However, we do not want to explicitly state that there is something there, as there are so many factors at play \u2013 thin atmosphere, other chemicals that were potentially not detected by Cassini, and environmental conditions. If there is life and it is similar to the one on Earth, we could expect it to be one of close relations to Archaea. The representatives of this domain are quite primitive and unicellular, which aligns with our hypothesis of Enceladus being able to harbor a simple life form. However, it can also survive harsh conditions \u2013 such as extreme cold temperatures on the moon and radiation.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"New Evidence For Possible Life In Enceladus&#039; Ocean\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8RyF4E0ZiGs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>How will TIGRE help scientists better understand Enceladus and potentially other icy moons throughout the solar system in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!<\/p>\n<p><em>As always, keep doing science &amp; keep looking up!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-24000880-171049-67ba1fa6811db\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=14.0#blog_id=24000880&amp;post_id=171049&amp;origin=www.universetoday.com&amp;obj_id=24000880-171049-67ba1fa6811db&amp;n=1\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-24000880-171049-67ba1fa6811db\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/171049\/sampling-enceladus-subsurface-ocean-with-tigre-mission-concept\/?rand=772204\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can we explore Saturn\u2019s moon, Enceladus, to include its surface and subsurface ocean, with the goal of potentially discovering life as we know it? This is what a recent&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":793814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-793813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genaero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=793813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/793814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=793813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=793813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=793813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}