NASA Will Soon Be Searching For Signs Of Alien Life On A Mission To Europa, Jupiter’s Fourth-Largest Moon
NASA will soon be launching a mission to Europa, the planet Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon. A spacecraft called the Europa Clipper will be sent to the icy moon to conduct a detailed study and search for areas that could potentially host alien life.
The launch was due to start on October 10, but it has been temporarily postponed because of Hurricane Milton.
Europa Clipper weighs about the same as a large African elephant and is as wide as a basketball court when its solar sails are unfolded. It is the largest planetary exploration spacecraft that NASA has ever built.
Usually, Mars is the target for searches for signs of alien life because it’s close to Earth and easier to explore.
But there are other places in the solar system that could support life, particularly the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. They contain liquid water, which is the foundation of life on Earth.
These moons contain liquid water because Jupiter and Saturn both hold immense gravitational power over them.
For example, Titan and Enceladus, Saturn’s moons, are stretched and compressed by gravity as they orbit their planet.
As a result, there are vast underground oceans with plumes of water vapors bursting from the solid, icy surface.
Scientists suspect that Europa is the same. The moon has been observed for over four centuries, but it has not yet been confirmed that an underground liquid ocean exists, like on Titan and Enceladus.
revers_jr – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Although it has been hit by many meteors, Europa has a relatively smooth surface, suggesting that it is young. Its surface may have been recently replaced by water raining down from ice volcanoes.
Additionally, Europa has a magnetic field. So, it might have a liquid layer on the inside, like Earth. On Earth, the liquid layer is molten rock.
The surface of Europa is assaulted by high levels of space radiation from Jupiter. But the thick sheet of ice on the surface could be protecting life underground in the liquid ocean.
Without drilling deep below Europa’s surface, it would be a challenge to find evidence of life. That’s where Europa Clipper comes in handy.
Europa Clipper will fly by the moon and look for areas where life might be hidden below the surface. The spacecraft has nine scientific instruments it will utilize for the task.
These tools include a wide-angle camera to study geologic activity and a thermal imaging system to detect warmer surface regions and measure surface texture.
In addition, there is a spectrometer for examining the chemical composition of gases, liquids, and solids on Europa.
The ice shell and the salt levels and depth of the moon’s ocean will also be measured, as well as the strength of Jupiter’s gravitational pull on Europa.
The extensive analysis will provide more insights into what could be hidden beneath Europa. The mission will take time, though. The Europa Clipper won’t reach Jupiter for more than five years after its launch.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News