Concepts to utilize planetary analogue studies for icy moon exploration missions

<p><span>The icy moons of our Solar System, such as the Saturnian moon Enceladus and the Jovian moon Europa, are scientifically highly interesting targets for future space missions, </span><span>since</span><span> they are potentially hosting extraterrestrial life in their oceans below an icy crust. Moreover, the exploration of these icy moons will enhance our understanding of the evolution of the Solar System. </span><span>For their eventual in-situ exploration, n</span><span>ovel technological solutions and simulations are necessary. This also includes model-based mission support to assist the development of future melting probes</span> <span>which comprise one option to </span><span>access the subglacial water</span><span>.</span></p><p><span>Since 2012, several national projects under the lead of the DLR Explorer Initiatives develop key technologies to enhance our capability for the in-situ exploration of ice and to sample englacial or subglacial water. In 2020, the DLR Space Administration started the TRIPLE project (Technologies for Rapid Ice Penetration and subglacial Lake Exploration). This project develops an integrated concept for a melting probe that launches an autonomous underwater vehicle (nanoAUV) into a </span><span>w</span><span>ater reservoir and an AstroBioLab for in-situ analysis. A</span><span>ll components are developed for terrestrial use while always having a future space mission </span><span>with</span><span> i</span><span>ts challenges i</span><span>n mind. A</span><span>s part of a second project stage, it is envisioned to build the TRIPLE sys</span><span>tem a</span><span>nd t</span><span>o access a subglacial la</span><span>ke in</span><span> Antarctica in 2026.</span></p><p><span>To deliver key parameters such as transit time and overall energy requirement, a virtual test bed for strategic mission planning is currently under development. This consists of the Ice Data Hub that combines available data from Earth </span><span>and</span><span> other planetary bod</span><span>ie</span><span>s</span><span> &#8211; measured or taken from the literature &#8211; and allows the </span><span>visualization</span><span>, interpretation and export of data, as well as trajectory models for the melting probe. We develop high-fidelity thermal contact models for the phase change as well as macroscopic trajectory models that consider the thermodynamic melting process and the convective loss of heat via the melt-water flow.</span></p><p><span>In this contribution, we </span><span>present</span><span> previous field test data obtained with the melting probe &#8220;EnEx-IceMole&#8221; from field deployments on temperate glaciers in the Alps and on Taylor Glacier in Antarctica </span><span>together </span><span>with the thermal contact models. </span><span>We explore the validity and accuracy of the models for different terrestrial environments and use the findings</span><span> to </span><span>predict the melting probe behaviour in</span> <span>extraterrestrial locations of</span><span> future space missions.</span></p>