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 an interplanetary mission in development by NASA comprising an orbiter. Planned for launch in October 2024, the spacecraft is being developed to study the Galilean moon Eu ...

'' mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. MISE will examine Europa's surface composition and relate it to the habitability 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 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 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 hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha ...

signatures in the

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from aroun ...

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

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- ...

, and their

enantiomer In chemistry, an enantiomer ( /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''; from Ancient Greek ἐνάντιος ''(enántios)'' 'opposite', and μέρος ''(méros)'' 'part') – also called optical isomer, antipode, or optical ant ...

s. The MISE spectrometer is designed to enable the identification and mapping of organics, salts, acid hydrates, water ice phases, altered silicates, 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 is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

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

Description

The MISE design is an imaging infrared spectrometer 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 image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the s ...

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