Jupiter moon Europa.

3488 · Feb 15, 2007

From Spaceflightnow.com. Planetary scientist says: Focus on Europa WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS NEWS RELEASE Posted: February 14, 2007 Yogi Berra supposedly suggested that when you come to a fork in the road, you are supposed to take it. That's just what planetary scientists studying the rich data set from the Galileo Mission to the outer solar system are doing now. They're taking the fork. According to William B. McKinnon, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, the community suffers from an embarrassment of riches, because each of the moons of Jupiter differs in the way that they can reveal more about planets and how they behave. But he thinks it is Europa that clearly commands the most attention. There are four large, moons of Jupiter that in their character and behavior are more like planets than Earth's moon: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The last three are icy. Io's volcanic hyperactivity is well known, but there are mysteries about the temperature of its magmas and its spectacular mountains and what they might reveal about the satellite's interior processes. As for the exterior moon Callisto, how did it acquire an ocean yet not be deeply differentiated? Ganymede's liquid iron core is still generating a magnetic field. This was not predicted beforehand, and thus has much to teach planetary scientists on how magnetic fields are generated in the solar system. Then, there is Europa. "Of the four Galilean moons, Europa is the one that has the best chance to reveal the most about the origin of life, which is the biggest unanswered scientific question we have, bar none," he said. "With its massive body of liquid water, multiple energy sources proposed and different ways to provide carbon and other biogenic elements, the central question must be Europa's potential for life. What greater question can you ask of a <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Feb 15, 2007

Sad, but true, there's little money for this in NASA's budget. Hopefully another country will do this and embarass the US enough so we take the exploration of the solar system seriously enough to fund it again <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Feb 16, 2007

Hi MeteorWayne. As you say, there is likely to be no or at best very little funding for this. A while back, NASA & the ESA where contemplating what to follow on with after the successful Huygens landing on Titan. Europa seemed the obvious choice, following on from the imagery & other data from the Galileo orbiter. Below from Planetary Photojournal. These artist's drawings depict two proposed models of the subsurface structure of the Jovian moon, Europa. Geologic features on the surface, imaged by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft might be explained either by the existence of a warm, convecting ice layer, located several kilometers below a cold, brittle surface ice crust (top model), or by a layer of liquid water with a possible depth of more than 100 kilometers(bottom model). If a 100 kilometer (60 mile) deep ocean existed below a 15 kilometer (10 mile) thick Europan ice crust, it would be 10 times deeper than any ocean on Earth and would contain twice as much water as Earth's oceans and rivers combined. Unlike the Earth, magnesium sulfate might be a major salt component of Europa's water or ice, while the Earth's oceans are salty due to sodium chloride (common salt). While data from various instruments on the Galileo spacecraft indicate that an Europan ocean might exist, no conclusive proof has yet been found. To date Earth is the only known place in the solar system where large masses of liquid water are located close to a solid surface. Other sources are especially interesting since water is a key ingredient for the development of life. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://ga <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

3488 · Feb 16, 2007

Also these links about Europa are fascinating!! Europa Half Phase Voyager 2. Natural & Enhanced colour Mug Shots of Europa from Galileo. Impact Structures on Europa. Compostional data in Tyre region. Ice Rafts. Complex Terrain. Ice Ridges. 3D View of Double Ridges. Ice hills 1. Ice hills 2. Chaotic Terrain Conamara Chaos very high resolution. Highest Resolution image as yet of Europa. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

siriusmre · Feb 16, 2007

I never thought that I would be typing this, but...I agree 100% with stevehw33. Perhaps the conviction with which these planet "scientists" assert these fantastical postulations is supposed to somehow suspend one's disbelief. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

vandivx · Feb 16, 2007

yeah, me too, I also refuse to get interested in anything less but little green men with little antenae protruding from top of their heads and I will settle for nowt less enough of this clamour about inhospitable places like this one, we people will only fund exploration of some nice breezy and temperate planets with vegetation and life to be found there, else, failing that, let us get back to our favourite TV show and spend the money saved on some large take out dinner /burp vanDivX <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

portercc · Feb 17, 2007

I can tell you why there is not enough funding...C-O-L-O-R..the public needs color or they are not interested. They want to know what it would look like if they were there. They just want to tourists in our universe. They also need frequency or they move on to something else. Look at Hubble. The release of images is so slow the public has lost interest and don't really care if it burns up - as long as it doesn't land on their home. Look at New Horizons. Some really beautiful black and whites - when they release them. What gets the headlines? The color shot of Juipter from Mars! I know New Horizons is color capable and I also know more science can be done with black and white, but there is a little thing called marketing that makes the world go round. A little science needs to be sacrificed in order to increase the dollars the average Joe is willing to see spent on exploration. The only time regular folks are interested in science is when a National Geographic is released - then it's left in the reading basket by the toilet. I love this stuff!!! I check out Cassini, New Horizons, Rovers, Mar Observatoy and SOHO everyday. My name is approaching Jupiter right now. It also flew past a comet and crashed on it. It is exploring Mars in two areas and is in pieces on its pole. I too want more exploration. Jpl just needs to be a little more right brained and stir up the imagination of our society. That will increase the dollars.

SpeedFreek · Feb 17, 2007

Perhaps the same tidal or gravitational forces that keep the interior of Io in a dynamic state could also be responsible for keeping the interior of Europa in a liquid form. It's not all about temperature. But this is all, of course, conjecture. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> _______________________________________________ SpeedFreek </div>

oscar1 · Feb 17, 2007

You know Steve, I can't help but think that had you lived during the time of Henry the Navigator, and had been in some position of power then, that you would likely have delayed the rounding of the 'Cape of Good Hope' by two decades at least.

brellis · Feb 18, 2007

we people will only fund exploration of some nice breezy and temperate planets with vegetation and life to be found there..and populated by the likes of the 2007 SI Swimsuit Issue Models! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better. </div>

voyagerwsh · Feb 18, 2007

Hello 3488, I appreciate your contributions on the subject of Europa, please don't get frustrated or discouraged by the ones that cast doubts on the planetary science. Those authors wrote the astrobiological papers on Europa or Mars are the ones who did them with lengthy researches and supported by remote sensing, eg. landers or various probes. The ones who cast their disbelief or sarcasm here may have their doctorate degrees in other fields but I am not sure they are in the field of planetary science or life science. Thanks!

brellis · Feb 18, 2007

Hi Andrew Thanks for all the connects. Talk about an embarrassment of riches! You mentioned trying to get an Io Mission on the table at NASA. Have you had any luck yet? I hope so. I've wondered for awhile if it wouldn't be preferrable to send a "mothership" armed with many landers/orbiters/etc, and have the ability to pick and choose when to release one. Imagine if Cassini had just one more lander to drop into the plume on Enceladus! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better. </div>

mikeemmert · Feb 18, 2007

Hi, Andrew <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> ; McKinnon in his article states that there are signs of recent geological activity on Europa. Right at the moment, I am slightly in favor of an Enceladus mission, mostly because of the dramatic proof that Enceladus' ocean has actually broken though it's crust and is therefore amenable to analysis. Could you organize the arguments that Europa's ocean has broken through the crust at any point within a time period of, say, the history of Man (6000yrs)? McKinnon is saying that geysers or other evidence of direct access to the lower layers of Europa was lost in Galileo's antenna accident. That may very well be. But at present I slightly favor another Enceladus mission (however, I'm not married to an Enceladus mission). I think too, because of the lower gravity on Enceladus, it would be easier and safer to put some kind of a lander there. I am also a Titan buff. Besides, any Saturn mission would also fly by Jupiter and bring the suite of instruments to bear on that target so that we could learn more about Jupiter anyway. Of course, it would be much better to do both. You think you could convince the British Parliament to cough up some dough?

voyagerwsh · Feb 19, 2007

NASA will check for life on one of Jupiter's moons Jody Deming and Christopher Krembs of School of Oceanography at University of Washington have the report on organisms that thrive in Arctic sea ice. http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_krembsdeming.html Deming has Ph.D. in Microbiology, she is well known of psychrophiles research.

centsworth_II · Feb 19, 2007

"I wonder why Juno, a mission to study Jupiter, was chosen as the next New Frontiers orbiter when it could have been to study Europa?" A mission to Europa would be much more complicated and expensive than the Juno mission. The problem of Jupiter's intense radiation alone is a big hurtle to overcome. Juno avoids this by having an orbit specifically designed to keep it away from the heaviest zones of radiation. A probe studying Europa would not have that luxury. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

alokmohan · Feb 19, 2007

Getting excited about Europa is nothing new.Since the time of voyagers it has been suggested that Europa is second Antartica.And one of the men who raised the bogey was British astronomer Patrick Moore.Now we are far advanced to say so many candidates are hanging around.Lets all go mars ,useful stuff .

chesh · Feb 21, 2007

"Getting excited about Europa is nothing new." very true, AC Clarke's "2010", the sequel to "2001, a Space Oddyssey" was all about Europa's possible life, for which no Jupiter mission has ever found any substantial evidence. That is very upsetting to many. Recall the phrase, "Attempt no landings there." That was 1982, 25 years ago. Nothing to date found. Or likely. The more the missions look for life, the more the evidence gets less likely.

rybanis · Feb 21, 2007

I do beleive that NASA has had a Europa lander mission in the works for most of the 1990s/2000s. Its stuck in the "pending" file for when, if ever, it gets funding. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

apollyon · Feb 21, 2007

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with steve here. The pressure of the surface ice could keep the body of water beneath from freezing completely. Combine that with Jupiter's intense gravity possibly flexing the moon, and the theory of a liquid ocean is quite plausible. It will be exciting to see what this moon has to reveal in the future. Hopefully, a probe designed to melt its way through the ice and explore its depths will be realized in my lifetime.

centsworth_II · Feb 21, 2007

"...the theory of a liquid ocean is quite plausible." A fair number of scientists who have a much firmer grasp of the physics involved than steve would agree. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

3488 · Feb 22, 2007

This link shows what I am trying to achieve with NASA. I know it is centred on volcanic Io, but Europa, Ganymede & Callisto all are heavily involved. I am pushing for at least a feasibility study for an Io orbiter & maybe a lander too. I hope people find it interesting. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

mikeemmert · Feb 22, 2007

Hello, 3488 <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" />; I just got through reading this exciting article about the geysers of Enceladus painting the surfaces of all of Saturn's moons with bright, fresh, water ice: Icy particles ejected from a geyser on Saturn's moon Enceladus are blanketing other moons in reflective dust and ice, making them unusually bright, a new study suggest. Video: See Enceladus' "Cold Faithful" Researchers measuring the reflectivity, or “albedo” of several Saturnian moons found that four of them—Mimas, Tethys, Dione and Rhea—were much brighter than estimates based on past measurements. All four moons have ancient, geologically inert surfaces, so their unusual brightness surprised scientists. Other moons in the solar system with high albedo have active water and ice geysers that rain reflective ice particles onto their surfaces. One thing all four Saturn moons do have in common, however, is that they are embedded in Saturn’s E-ring, a faint ring made up of microscopic particles of ice and dust. The ring is so faint that scientists didn’t discover it until about 30 years ago, and when they did, they noticed it was always brightest near Enceladus. This observation led many scientists to speculate that Enceladus was somehow supplying the material in the ring. Cosmic graffiti This idea was bolstered two years ago when NASA’s Cassini spacecraft found evidence of active geysers and water volcanoes on Enceladus’ south pole. Scientists now think that some of the particles ejected from these steamy sprinklers escape the moon’s gravity and float into space. Saturn’s gravity then ropes in the particles to form the E-ring. “The activity on Enceladus is the reason this ring is there at all,” said study team member Anne Verbiscer of the University of Virginia.

Jupiter moon Europa.

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