ELIE
Electronic Life-detection Instrument for Enceladus/Europa
Faculty Advisor/PI: Dr. Christopher E. Carr
Start Date: January 2022 (at Georgia Tech)
Current Status: Low-technology readiness instrument under development
Collaborators: Multi-institution team
We are working to develop the Electronic Life-detection Instrument for Enceladus/Europa (ELIE) instrument, capable of detecting prebiotic, ancient, or extant life, and distinguishing forward contamination, through detection of two universal biomarkers: the amino acid abundance distribution and IPs. We will validate single molecule nanogap detection and develop a breadboard system to advance ELIE from technology readiness level (TRL) 2 to TRL 4.
For more information see an overview with some updates about parabolic flights conducted as part of a collaboration with the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative.
Publications:
Carr CE, Ramírez-Colón JL, Duzdevich D, Lee S, Taniguchi M, Ohshiro T, Komoto Y, Soderblom JM, Zuber MT. Solid-State Single-Molecule Sensing with the Electronic Life-Detection Instrument for Enceladus/Europa (ELIE). Astrobiology. 2023 Oct;23(10):1056-1070. doi: 10.1089/ast.2022.0119. Epub 2023 Sep 29. PMID: 37782210. Preprint: bioRxiv 2022.08.31.505913. With Cover art by JL Ramírez-Colón.
José Ramírez-Colón JL, Johnson E, Duzdevich D, Lee S, Soderblom J, Zuber MT, Taniguchi M, Ohshiro T, Komoto Y, and Carr CE. Nanogap Solid-State Single-Molecule Detection at Mars, Europa, and Microgravity Conditions. Aerospace, IEEE Conference on, March 2-9, 2024 (paper 2836). Session: 5.03 Instruments and Payloads for Small, Low-Cost Missions. Doi: 10.1109/AERO58975.2024.10521175. Preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.29.582359v1
Presentations/Posters:
Carr CE. Seeking Earth-Ancestral or Unrelated Life on Mars via Solid State Single Molecule Detection. Tenth International Conference on Mars, Pasadena, California - July 22-25, 2024. Abstract 3518 (abstract + poster), https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/tenthmars2024/pdf/3518.pdf
Carr CE, Duzdevich D, Szostak JW, Lee S, Taniguchi M, Ohshiro T, Komoto Y, Ruvkun G, Soderblom JM, and Zuber MT (2020), Electronic Life-detection Instrument for Enceladus/Europa (ELIE), Abstract 678692 (P044-0002), AGU Fall Meeting, 1-17 Dec. 2020. Earth and Space Science Open Archive (ESSOAr) doi:10.1002/essoar.10506997.1. Earlier version submitted as: Carr CE, Duzdevich D, Szostak JW, Lee S, Taniguchi M, Ohshiro T, Komoto Y, Ruvkun G, Soderblom JM, and Zuber MT. Electronic Life-detection Instrument for Enceladus/Europa (ELIE). 2020 In Situ Science and Instrumentation Workshop for the Exploration of Europa and Ocean Worlds, JPL, Pasadena, CA, April 28-30, 2020 (abstract; held online as 2021 Virtual In Situ Science and Instrumentation Workshop for the Exploration of Europa and Ocean Worlds, May 20, 2021). Video: https://youtu.be/lMfXHJkVyXk?t=3442
Lee, S. Single molecule detection and classification using nanogaps. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science [SM Thesis], 2021. https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/130699
Funding: NASA PICASSO program awards 80NSSC19K1028 and 80NSSC22K0188 to C.E.C. and the MIT Space Exploration Initiative (parabolic flights).