NASA's EELS: The Robotic Snake on a Mission to Uncover Extraterrestrial Life

Photo Source- Google.com

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is developing a snake-like robot called Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) to explore otherworldly terrains and search for life beyond Earth.

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EELS will use its spinning wheels to crawl down crevasses and swim through water in search of potential pathways to a habitable liquid ocean on Enceladus, a small icy moon of Saturn.

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The plumes erupting from Enceladus' surface serve as direct conduits to the liquid water beneath its icy crust, making them potential pathways to a habitable liquid ocean.

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EELS' innovative rotating propulsion units function as tracks, gripping mechanisms, and underwater propeller units, allowing the robot to explore previously inaccessible areas.

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Dr. Martin Robinson, the project manager, envisions a platform that could explore any location, including descending into lunar lava tubes.

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EELS' adaptability makes it suitable for exploring other destinations like Martian polar caps and crevasses in Earth's ice sheets.

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JPL is collaborating with Earth scientists to identify high-priority, high-impact terrestrial scientific investigations that can demonstrate EELS' capabilities in a planetary analogue environment.

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Tests have already been conducted inside Canada's Athabasca Glacier and Mount Meager Volcano to demonstrate EELS' capabilities in such environments.

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Enceladus has become a promising target for NASA in its search for life due to its global ocean and internal heat.

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The discovery of potential life on Enceladus would be a significant achievement, signifying that we are not alone in the universe. Discovered in 1789, Enceladus is Saturn’s sixth largest moon

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