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Aguzzi J, Flexas MM, Flögel S, Lo Iacono C, Tangherlini M, Costa C, Marini S, Bahamon N, Martini S, Fanelli E, Danovaro R, Stefanni S, Thomsen L, Riccobene G, Hildebrandt M, Masmitja I, Del Rio J, Clark EB, Branch A, Weiss P, Klesh AT, Schodlok MP. Exo-Ocean Exploration with Deep-Sea Sensor and Platform Technologies. Astrobiology 2020; 20:897-915. [PMID: 32267735 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
One of Saturn's largest moons, Enceladus, possesses a vast extraterrestrial ocean (i.e., exo-ocean) that is increasingly becoming the hotspot of future research initiatives dedicated to the exploration of putative life. Here, a new bio-exploration concept design for Enceladus' exo-ocean is proposed, focusing on the potential presence of organisms across a wide range of sizes (i.e., from uni- to multicellular and animal-like), according to state-of-the-art sensor and robotic platform technologies used in terrestrial deep-sea research. In particular, we focus on combined direct and indirect life-detection capabilities, based on optoacoustic imaging and passive acoustics, as well as molecular approaches. Such biologically oriented sampling can be accompanied by concomitant geochemical and oceanographic measurements to provide data relevant to exo-ocean exploration and understanding. Finally, we describe how this multidisciplinary monitoring approach is currently enabled in terrestrial oceans through cabled (fixed) observatories and their related mobile multiparametric platforms (i.e., Autonomous Underwater and Remotely Operated Vehicles, as well as crawlers, rovers, and biomimetic robots) and how their modified design can be used for exo-ocean exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Aguzzi
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - M M Flexas
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - S Flögel
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - C Lo Iacono
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- National Oceanographic Center (NOC), University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | - C Costa
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA)-Centro di ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni agroalimentari - Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - S Marini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Institute of Marine Sciences, La Spezia, Italy
| | - N Bahamon
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Blanes, Spain
| | - S Martini
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - E Fanelli
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - R Danovaro
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - S Stefanni
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | | | - G Riccobene
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania, Italy
| | - M Hildebrandt
- German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Bremen, Germany
| | - I Masmitja
- SARTI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Del Rio
- SARTI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - E B Clark
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - A Branch
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - A T Klesh
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - M P Schodlok
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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