LISTEN: Would Stacey and J Sbu live on Jupiter’s moon Europa?
Stacey and J Sbu heard about NASA’s mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa for habitable space and we don’t think they’re keen on the idea.
NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is gearing up to explore one of the most intriguing places in our solar system: Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. With compelling evidence suggesting a vast ocean beneath its frozen surface, Europa is considered one of the most likely places beyond Earth where life could exist. The mission’s primary goal is to determine whether there are environments on Europa that could support life.
What Will Europa Clipper Do?
Europa Clipper’s mission is centered around three key objectives: understanding the nature of Europa’s thick ice shell and the ocean beneath it, studying its composition, and investigating its geology. To achieve this, the spacecraft will perform nearly 50 close flybys of Europa, at times flying just 25 kilometres above the surface.
These flybys will allow scientists to gather critical data from almost every corner of the moon.
Equipped with advanced instruments like ice-penetrating radar, cameras, and spectrometers, Europa Clipper will map the surface, analyse the moon’s thin atmosphere, and search for subsurface water. By collecting this data, the spacecraft will help determine whether Europa has the necessary ingredients for life.
A Technological Marvel
At more than 30 meters wide with its solar arrays deployed, Europa Clipper is NASA’s largest planetary mission spacecraft. It’s designed to operate far from the Sun, collecting minimal sunlight to power its sophisticated equipment. To protect it from Jupiter’s intense radiation, the spacecraft’s electronics will be housed in a titanium and aluminum radiation vault, a design successfully tested by NASA’s Juno mission.
The Search for Life
Europa Clipper’s close flybys and detailed scans will investigate whether life-sustaining environments exist beneath Europa’s icy crust. With its advanced technology, the mission hopes to answer one of the most profound questions of our time: Could life exist elsewhere in the solar system? This mission promises to bring us closer than ever to uncovering the secrets hidden beneath Europa’s frozen surface.
Follow us on social media:
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Image Courtesy of iStock