Alien Carousel: In Situ life detection on icy moons with a single-actuator holographic microfluidic platform

Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to find life. The Cassini mission discovered organic-rich water plumes from Enceladus’s subsurface ocean, prompting new lander mission planning. We developed a mechanically simple ice sampling system for autonomous life detection on lander missions. The system is controlled by a single rotary actuator that samples, liquefies, and prepares ice for microscopic observations. Sample acquisition uses a novel conical boundary layer pump that delivers samples to a microfluidic disk. A digital holographic microscope detects microorganisms without mechanical focusing. The single-actuator design enables closed-loop control of velocity, position, and torque, with an operational sequence controlling fluid dynamics in a centrifugal microfluidic disk. Testing demonstrated system feasibility and effectiveness across all subsystems. Open-source software was developed for automated onboard hologram processing, including organism motility detection to assess presence of life. This single-actuator design reduces mechanical complexity for lander missions. Future work focuses on adapting the technology for terrestrial applications and achieving required technology readiness levels for space deployment.