Extraterrestrial Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI)

The Extraterrestrial Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) merges the complementary techniques of liquid-based capillary electrophoresis (CE), including laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and conductivity detection, and gas-based pyrolysis/ derivatization gas chromatography (GC) with a highly sensitive ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS) to provide robust and complete detection and characterization of potential molecular biosignatures present on an ocean world. Breadboard versions of the three main subsystems of EMILI have recently been coupled together and provide a first look at the functionality and overall instrument performance of the complete system. A selection of results from this testing are presented here along with an outlook on the future development of EMILI.