Methane Isotopes Analyzer for Enceladus Plume Flythrough

We propose a low SWaP Capillary Absorption Spectrometer (CAS) to analyze Methane during an Enceladus plume flythrough. The system will contain a Plume Capture and Delivery System (PCDS) which transports plume molecules nbsp;to the CAS to be analyzed for 13C/12C carbon and D/Hnbsp;hydrogen isotope ratios. Although Enceladusrsquo;s plume is thought to have created Saturnrsquo;s E-ring, the plume particles are expected to be sparse at flythrough altitudes. With a very small sample, the CAS produces high-precision measurements, making it ideal for a plume flythrough. This proposed effort will design a PCDS and develop the CAS further to strengthen the D/H analysis with the constraints of relatively low-abundance of deuterated methane, along with the need to also measure 13C/12C isotopes jointly. The proposed measurements in an Enceladus plume flythrough would answer crucial questions about Enceladusrsquo;s methane origin, giving insight into the possibility of life on Enceladus.nbsp;