The Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) is an imaging near infrared spectrometer on board the ''

Europa Clipper Europa Clipper (previously known as Europa Multiple Flyby Mission) is a space probe developed by NASA to study Europa (moon), Europa, a Galilean moon of Jupiter. It was launched on October 14, 2024. The spacecraft used a gravity assist from Mar ...

'' mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. MISE will examine Europa's surface composition and relate it to the

habitability Habitability is the adequacy of an environment for human living. Where housing is concerned, there are generally local ordinances which define habitability. If a residence complies with those laws, it is said to be habitable. In extreme environ ...

of its internal water ocean.

Overview

Since NASA's ''Voyager'' mission flew past Europa in 1979, scientists have worked to understand the composition of the reddish-brown material known as

tholin Tholins (after the Greek (') "hazy" or "muddy"; from the ancient Greek word meaning "sepia ink") are a wide variety of organic compounds formed by solar ultraviolet or cosmic rays, cosmic ray irradiation of simple carbon-containing compounds su ...

that coats fractures and other geologically youthful features on Europa's surface. Material from the ocean is probably being transported to the surface by active processes in the interior. At the surface, the material is exposed to the effects of vacuum, temperature, irradiated by solar UV, and bombarded by material entrained in Jupiter's magnetic field, causing

photolysis Photodissociation, photolysis, photodecomposition, or photofragmentation is a chemical reaction in which molecules of a chemical compound are broken down by absorption of light or photons. It is defined as the interaction of one or more photons wi ...

and

radiolysis Radiolysis is the dissociation of molecules by ionizing radiation. It is the cleavage of one or several chemical bonds resulting from exposure to high-energy flux. The radiation in this context is associated with ionizing radiation; radiolysis is ...

and the transformation and generation of new organic compounds. The compounds at the surface are likely recycled back into the ocean below. Visible to Short Wavelength Infrared (VSWIR) spectroscopy is a well-understood technique for mapping from orbit key inorganic, organic, and volatile compositions on planetary surfaces. MISE was selected for the ''Europa Clipper'' mission in May 2015, and it is built by the JPL in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The instrument's Principal Investigator is Diana Blaney.

Goal

A primary goal of the MISE instrument is to determine if Europa is capable of supporting life by searching for

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

signatures in the

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

spectra. MISE can distinguish between different types of amino acids, such as

isoleucine Isoleucine (symbol Ile or I) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form under biological conditions), an α-carboxylic acid group (which is in the depro ...

leucine Leucine (symbol Leu or L) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Leucine is an α-amino acid, meaning it contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH3+ form under biological conditions), an α-Car ...

, and their

enantiomer In chemistry, an enantiomer (Help:IPA/English, /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''), also known as an optical isomer, antipode, or optical antipode, is one of a pair of molecular entities whi ...

s. The MISE spectrometer is designed to enable the identification and mapping of organics, salts, acid

hydrate In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...

s, water ice phases, altered

silicate A silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name is also used ...

s, and radiolytic compounds at global (≤ 10 km), regional (≤ 300 m), and local scales (~ 25 m). Distribution maps of astrobiologically relevant compounds and evaluating geological processes can be used to determine if Europa's ocean possesses the chemical energy necessary to support

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

. MISE could provide fundamental information on where future Europa landers would have the highest probability of detecting organic

biosignature A biosignature (sometimes called chemical fossil or molecular fossil) is any substance – such as an element, isotope, molecule, or phenomenon – that provides scientific evidence of past or present life on a planet. Measurable ...

Description

The MISE design is an imaging

infrared spectrometer Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) is the measurement of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter by absorption, emission, or reflection. It is used to study and identify chemical substances or functio ...

that could observe effectively throughout a flyby or in orbit around Europa. It is designed to operate within Europa's harsh radiation environment. MISE would cover a spectral range from 0.8 μm to 5 μm (near

to mid-infrared), with an instantaneous field of view of 250 μrad/

pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...

and a swath width of 300 active pixels. The 0.8–2.5 μm region is essential for quantifying

s and bulk surface composition, while the 3–5 μm spectral region is required for detecting low abundances of organics, most radiolytic products, and discriminating salts from acid

s. Large organic molecules such as tholins have spectral features at 4.57 μm and 3.4 μm.The First Akon Europa Penetrator Workshop
''The Royal Astronomical Society'', January 21, 2016. These longer wavelengths can also be used to measure thermal emissions from currently active regions. The prototype also underwent a

planetary protection Planetary protection is a guiding principle in the design of an interplanetary mission, aiming to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth in the case of sample-return missions. Planetary protection refle ...

bakeout to ensure that the design was compatible with dry heat microbial sterilization.Europa Clipper Mission Concept Preliminary Planetary Protection Approach
Jones, Melissa; Schubert, Wayne; Newlin, Laura; Cooper, Moogega; Chen, Fei; Kazarians, Gayane; Ellyin, Raymond; Vaishampayan, Parag; Crum, Ray. ''41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly'', July 2016.

References

{{Satellite and spacecraft instruments Space imagers Europa (moon) Europa Clipper

Overview

Goal

Description

See also

References