Alien Carousel: In Situ Life Detection on Icy Moons with a Single-Actuator Holographic Microfluidic Platform

Marnix MeersmanStéphanie Cazaux^*Jovana Jovanova^*

• Technische Universiteit Delft, Delft, Netherlands

Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, is considered the most promising place in the solar system to find life. The Cassini mission discovered organic-rich water plumes emanating from Enceladus's subsurface ocean, prompting space agencies to plan a new lander mission for further exploration of this icy moon. This paper introduces an ice sampling system controlled through a single rotary actuator. It is designed to sample, liquefy, and prepare ice for microscopic observation and is intended for life detection on Enceladus. It addresses the need for minimal mechanical complexity and ease of operation that is necessary for deep space missions.With a digital holographic microscope, the system can detect microorganisms within a volumetric sample without the need for mechanical focusing. Sample acquisition utilizes a conical boundary layer pump, delivering the sample into a microfluidic disk for analysis. The system forms a single static unit requiring one encoded actuator, enabling closed-loop control of velocity, position, and torque. In addition, an operational sequence was developed to control the fluid dynamics within centrifugal microfluidic disks, enabling multiple fluid control modes.Experiments have demonstrated the design's feasibility and effectiveness. All subsystems of the sampling chain have been tested. Additionally, open-source software for processing hologram images, including particle counting and blob analysis, was developed.Future development of this prototype is discussed and emphasizes the need to adapt this technology for broader terrestrial scientific applications and to achieve the required technology readiness level for space missions.