NASA is currently developing a unique robot to explore the icy surface of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, and search for potential signs of life. The snake-like robot, called Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS), is designed to explore internal terrain structures, assess habitability and search for evidence of life, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The EELS system is mobile and adaptable, allowing it to traverse fluidized media, enclosed environments, and liquids.
Enceladus is believed to have a relatively smooth icy surface, with temperatures as low as 300 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. However, there is a possibility of a habitable liquid ocean lying underneath its surface. The plumes erupting from its surface could potentially provide the easiest path to explore this possibility.
‘The EELS is a snake-like, self-propelled robot made of multiple, identical, segments containing both the actuation and propulsion mechanisms as well as the power and communication electronics to drive them. EELS uses first-of-a-kind rotating propulsion units that act as tracks, gripping mechanisms and propeller units underwater, enabling the robot to access a plume vent exit and follow it to its ocean source,’ described the robot.
The EELS system can also be used to explore other celestial bodies, including the Martian polar caps and descending crevasses in the Earth’s ice sheets. NASA has yet to set a launch date for the project, indicating that any mission using this 16-foot-long robot is likely years away. However, if the launch is successful, it could open up opportunities for a deeper exploration of celestial bodies that were once considered unattainable.
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