OPERATION CALLISTO

AGENT GILCHRIST-SCOTT
AGENT KATZ
AGENT KELLY
Hi, my name is Callisto,
and I am a satellite
•Discovered by Galileo in 1610

•2nd largest moon of Jupiter

•Crust about 200km thick

•About the same size as Mercury

•Surface temperature = -172° Celcius1
TOP SECRET
 Want Life?
• Approach #1: Mimic Earth
- Water borne
- Carbon based
- Photosynthesis driven

TOP SECRET
 Water On Callisto?
•Measurements of magnetic field

•Jupiter’s magnetic field affecting Callisto’s

Why this suggests water:
•Ice is a poor conductor
•Liquid oceans with ions could carry charge
•Electric currents in opposite directions3
TOP SECRET
 It has water, so what?
•Archaea might live in extreme conditions
•Examples found in ancient ice
on Earth4

Klingon

Mickey Mouse

Leftover Turkey
 Is that all?
•Meteors could introduce hardy critters
•Spores can survive:
-UV light
-Extreme Starvation
-Low Nutrient and Water Levels
•Spores in 25-40 million year old wasps

?
?

?
TOP SECRET ?
Does Callisto Have Craters?
Yes! The most cratered satellite in the solar system

Valhalla
Central area is 300 km across
Cocentric rings extend to 1,500 km

Gipul Catena
Chain of craters 620 km long
Caused by tidal disruption

Asgard
1700km across
Infrared Mapping suggests ice
 Still Not Convinced?
•1999, Galileo detects
thin atmosphere

•Atmosphere of CO2

•AND! Very thin, drifts away

•Renewed CO2 from under crust (where, potentially, the

water is) through observed eroded pores5

•What could be making this CO2??

TOP SECRET
 Want Life? Part Deux
• Approach #1: Mimic Earth
- Water borne - Well, Maybe….
- Carbon based - Check!
- Photosynthesis driven - Not Check!
• Approach #2: Don’t be boring, be original
- Earth a singular example
- Life reflects environments
- Evidence:
- Right handed amino acids in
carbonaceous chondritic meteorites1
 Ammonia
• Structure comparable to H20, Polar
• Dissolves organic
compounds
• Salt solutions
conductive

• Freezes at -77.73 C
 Gimme Energy
• Energy needed to maintain low entropy state
• Earth photosynthesis driven and organisms
use energetically favorable redox reactions
- Other wavelengths
- UV, Infrared, X-ray, Microwave
- New control mechanism must form

TOP SECRET
 Electromagnetic Fun
Shifting magnetic field suggests flowing ions
Proposition #1: Kinetics
- Ions driven into cell through regulated
channel
- Higher concentration accumulates
- Diffuse out of cell
Proposition #2: Smash or spin!
TOP SECRET
 Under Pressure!
• Proposition #3: Pressure induced osmosis

• Tides cause changes in pressure

• Regulated channels retain liquid as
pressure decreases
- regulated by tea pot thing
• Energy during controlled release of liquid
used to drive reactions
TOP SECRET
 Osmosis
• Proposition #4: Osmosis Low
- Gradient of ions formed
- As organism moves water rushes in/out
- Channel couples movement with
formation of bond (ATP synthase-ish)6

TOP SECRET
High
 Hot Hot Heat
• Where is heat energy coming from?
- Increased pressure
- Unknown thermal vents
- Could be converted into usable energy
- Trampoline molecules up to higher
energy states - like photosynthesis
- Metabolizing organisms!

TOP SECRET
So…life?
• Able to metabolize
• Able to reproduce
• Able to replicate
and transfer
genetic material
• Has bounded
compartments (cell
theory)
• Able to maintain
low entropy state
by transforming
Symptomaniac

• Anaerobes or aerobes
– Krebs cycle/analogue
• Carbon Source: autotrophs, heterotrophs
– CO2 emitted, other microbes
• Energy Source: phototrophs or
chemotrophs
– Not likely phototrophs, but can use
mechanisms described earlier
• Electron Source: organotrophs or
lithotrophs
– Use of oxygen, nitrate, iron, or sulfur
• Waste of carbon dioxide, alcohols, or
other volatile compounds
 Symptoms of cRaZy Life
• Alternative solvents - Polar!
• Sources of energy:
– Penetrating wavelengths
– Explore thermal vents, shifting
tides, currents
• Alternative energy-carrying
molecules
– ATP Synthase-like
• Analyze molecule
unique compounds
(anything could be used!)
• Start search at bottom of the
ocean
 Emergency Equipment
Incubator Room Centrifuges Endless Pool

Floor Planz!

Storage Room

Mass Spec

Pressure
Alternator
Lab Bench 3 ft
Sink

Equalizer Compartment
Sterilizer Shower
Suiting Compartment
Fume Hoods Main Entrance
Previous Reports

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gutk2iMYFTs
Handling uh-ohs
Laboratory Safety
 General Guidelines
• Sealed hazard sterile suits must be worn in the
lab at all times
• You must go through the decontamination
procedure each time you enter and exit the lab
• Keep open flames to a minimum and distance
flammable compounds from flames or hot
surfaces
• Gloves should be worn to prevent caustic
materials from coming in contact with caustic
materials
• Tin foil hats must be worn under the safety suits
at all times so that the aliens can’t read our
thoughts
 Containment Procedure
• The lab will be completely sealed. Anything entering
will be decontaminated and all air will be filtered.
• All work with pathogens must be performed within
workbench fume hood
• Samples transported and stored outside the hood in
sealed containers to prevent contamination
• Sterile materials such as picks and Petri dishes must
be used at all times
• All waste with a sample must be disposed of in the
biohazard waste containers
 Containment Spill, oppss!
• Inform another person (if alone press
emergency button)
• Seek any required medical treatment
• Any and all injuries must be reported to the
infirmary immediately (if incapable have
someone else do as below)
• Clean up with disinfecting agent
• Place waste in biohazard waste container
• Document spill
Documentation Procedure
(WWWWHDW)
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• How
• Disinfectant used
• Waste disposal method
We want you
 Lab Hierarchy!!!
• Principal Investigator
• First Fellow Researcher
• Fellow Researchers
• Researchers
• Field Workers
• Technicians
• Laboratory Assistants
 The Lab Wiz

• Tasks: comes up with innovative

and well thought out experiments
for the lab, weekly presents lab
progress to headquarters on Earth
• Responsibilities: overlooks
everything in the lab and
eventually the one to blame,
creative thinker of superior lab
experiments
• Qualifications: has MD/PhD, Nobel
Prize Winner (multiple times
encouraged) in Physics and
 The Right Hand
• Tasks: overlooks all researchers,
brings in new information
obtained from surrounding labs,
note taker during all meetings,
sets up weekly meetings with
between each researcher with the
Lab Wiz and is present
• Responsibilities: replaces The
Wiz if something happens to him
• Qualifications: has MD/PhD, Nobel
Prize Winner in Physics and
Medicine, just as smart as the
 The Fellow Smarties
• Tasks: complete the experiments
assigned to them by the Lab Wiz and Right
Hand, weekly presents experiments
• Responsibilities: submits at least 2 papers
a month to be published
• Qualifications: top-notch researchers with
have MD/PhD (chemistry, biology, physics,
biochemistry)
 The Other Smarties

• Tasks: complete the experiments

assigned to them by the Lab Wiz and
Right Hand, weekly presents experiments
• Responsibilities: submits at least 1
papers a month to be published
• Qulifications: awesome researchers with
PhDs in either chemistry/biochemistry,
biology, physics (except us)
 Fieldies
• Tasks: collect, updates and
maintains all samples on the
satellite
• Responsibilities: report to
each of their respective
researchers and collect any
new specimens or objects
• Qualifications: the greatest
astronauts in the world with
PhDs in Aeronautics and
 Techies
• Tasks: orders equipment needed by their
researcher
• Responsibilities: make sure all
equipment for their researcher is
working properly assists in getting
researcher’s presentations ready
• Qualifications: smartest technicians
with PhD in computer science
• Note- two will be techies for the
Fieldies and maintain their equipment
 The Hearts
• Tasks: clean all glassware, clean
all equipment, disposes all waste
properly
• Responsibilities: maintain spill
records,make sure all things are
properly labels and stored,
biweekly total lab bench cleaned
• Qualifications: the most OC
people ever; recommend to have
PhD in biochemistry