Chemical Laptop

A powerful approach in the search for biosignatures on extraterrestrial missions of exploration involves liquid-based chemical analysis on samples acquired from the surface of planetary bodies. The separation techniques capillary electrophoresis (CE) and its miniaturized version, microchip electrophoresis (ME) overcome the limitations of gas-phase techniques and hold unique promise in the search for signatures of life on other worlds, especially for planetary targets where water is present. At JPL, we have developed the Chemical Laptop, a truly portable, battery-powered, automated, and reprogrammable microchip electrophoresis instrument coupled to laser-induced fluorescence detection.

This system would provide the sample processing capabilities required for in situ analysis with sub parts-per-billion sensitivity in a compact, low-mass, and low-power package. This instrument concept could be adapted to a variety of astrobiologically interesting targets like Europa, Enceladus, or Titan. This instrument is the first battery-powered and truly portable “end-to-end” ME-LIF astrobiology instrument capable of receiving a liquid sample and performing all operations required for analysis in an automated fashion. This system also serves as a general prototype that could be reprogrammed for terrestrial-based analyses as well.