What were the primordial sources of organic matter and where does organic synthesis continue today?
A major science goal of the EOA is to determine the organic molecule content of the plumes of Enceladus, by identifying three main molecular classes:
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- Amines & amino acids
- Carboxylic Acids
- PAHs
The EOA will directly sample contents of Enceladus’ ocean for organic molecules including small molecular building blocks and more complex structures.
From this exploration, the EOA can determine:
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- What molecules are present
- What reactions are possible
Such information would enable reverse chemical evolution modeling and help develop a more comprehensive understanding of organic presence on Enceladus.