Luminescence Imager for Exploration

Goals and Objectives: This MatISSE effort will continue the maturation of the Luminescence Imager for Exploration (LIfE), an automated bright-field and epifluorescence microscope developed under the NASA Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (Luminescence Imager for Exploration; 2017-2018) and the Instrument Concepts for Europa Exploration-2 (Europa Luminescence Microscope; 2019-2022) programs. LIfE will be developed under MatISSE to TRL 5 (formally) as end-to-end system "that can be proposed in response to future announcements of flight opportunity without additional extensive technology development (approximately TRL 6)". In other words, TRL advancement to the point where the instrument can be matured fully to TRL 6 relatively quickly (~18 months), for example during Phase A of a planetary mission. Methods/Techniques: For autonomous sample analysis, LIfE isolates insoluble particles on micron and sub-micron pore-size filters and analyzes them using fluorescence imaging with sub-micron spatial resolutions, enabling the detection and quantification of organic and inorganic structures. LIfE uses three operational modes: 1) Bright-field imaging for visual structural measurements. 2) Fluorescence imaging of stained key compositional cellular features (e.g., membrane lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids). 3) Autofluorescence imaging with DUV and visible excitation sources. Perceived Significance: LIfE directly addresses the goals of the MatISSE program and NASA goals by providing enabling technology for flyby, orbital, and landed missions that is suitable for multiple payloads and payload implementations. NASA Science Mission Directorate's "Science 2020-2024: A Vision for Scientific Excellence," establishes priorities for exploration and scientific discovery that includes the "Search for Life." LIfE is specifically designed to address this goal by providing an instrument with the capability to identify and characterize structural, compositional, and functional indicators of life. The impact of a discovery of non-terrestrial life would be profound, affecting our understanding of the science of life and its distribution in the universe, as well as shaping exploration priorities for the coming decades.

Enabling lower cost innovative remote sensing instrument development from concept through breadboard and demonstration

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