A Prototype Ice-Melting Probe for Collecting Biological Samples from Cryogenic Ice at Low Pressure. 2017

Ashley Davis
Cytoskeleton, Inc. , Denver, Colorado.

In the Solar System, the surface of an icy moon is composed of irregular ice formations at cryogenic temperatures (<200 K), with an oxidized surface layer and a tenuous atmosphere at very low pressure (<10-6 atm). A lander mission, whose aim is to collect and analyze biological samples from the surface ice, must contain a device that collects samples without refreezing liquid and without sublimation of ice. In addition, if the samples are biological in nature, then precautions must be taken to ensure the samples do not overheat or mix with the oxidized layer. To achieve these conditions, the collector must maintain temperatures close to maintenance or growth conditions of the organism (<293 K), and it must separate or neutralize the oxidized layer and be physically gentle. Here, we describe a device that addresses these requirements and is compatible with low atmospheric pressure while using no pumps. The device contains a heated conical probe with a central orifice, which is forced into surface ice and directs the meltwater upward into a reservoir. The force on the probe is proportional to the height of meltwater (pressure) obtained in the system and allows regulation of the melt rate and temperature of the sample. The device can collect 5-50 mL of meltwater from the surface of an ice block at 233-208 K with an environmental pressure of less than 10-2 atm while maintaining a sample temperature between 273 and 293 K. These conditions maintain most biological samples in a pristine state and maintain the integrity of most organisms' structure and function. Key Words: Europa-Icy moon-Microbe-Eukaryote-Spacecraft. Astrobiology 17, 709-720.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007053 Ice The solid substance formed by the FREEZING of water.
D001272 Atmosphere The gaseous envelope surrounding a planet or similar body. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Atmospheres
D053000 Analytic Sample Preparation Methods Use of various chemical separation and extraction methods, such as SOLID PHASE EXTRACTION; CHROMATOGRAPHY; and SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION; to prepare samples for analytical measurement of components.
D018531 Spacecraft Devices, manned and unmanned, which are designed to be placed into an orbit about the Earth or into a trajectory to another celestial body. (NASA Thesaurus, 1988) Biosatellites,Launch Vehicle,Satellites, Artificial,Satellites, Man-Made,Space Capsule,Space Craft,Space Probe,Space Ship,Space Shuttle,Space Vehicles,Spaceship,Artificial Satellite,Artificial Satellites,Biosatellite,Capsule, Space,Capsules, Space,Launch Vehicles,Man-Made Satellite,Man-Made Satellites,Probe, Space,Probes, Space,Satellite, Artificial,Satellite, Man-Made,Satellites, Man Made,Shuttle, Space,Shuttles, Space,Space Capsules,Space Probes,Space Ships,Space Shuttles,Space Vehicle,Spacecrafts,Spaceships,Vehicle, Launch,Vehicles, Launch
D018559 Exobiology The interdisciplinary science that studies evolutionary biology, including the origin and evolution of the major elements required for life, their processing in the interstellar medium and in protostellar systems. This field also includes the study of chemical evolution and the subsequent interactions between evolving biota and planetary evolution as well as the field of biology that deals with the study of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology,Extraterrestrial Life,Space Biology,Biologies, Space,Biology, Space,Life, Extraterrestrial,Space Biologies

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