|
. | . |
|
by Staff Writers Washington DC (Sputnik) Feb 05, 2015
NASA's mission to determine whether life is lurking beneath the frozen surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa is about to take a big step forward. NASA announced that it will develop a mission to Europa aimed at determining whether Jupiter's enigmatic moon, believed to be harboring a global ocean, is habitable. "Looking to the future, we're planning a mission to explore Jupiter's fascinating moon Europa."-Bolden #StateOfNASApic.twitter.com/v9L46zn4Up - NASA (@NASA) 2 2015 "Looking to the future, we're planning a mission to explore Jupiter's fascinating moon Europa, selecting instruments this spring and moving toward the next phase of our work," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said on Monday, as quoted by Forbes. "I am so excited about NASA's request for money to explore Europa. Probably our best chance to find life close to earth." - Matthew Golden (@GoldenMatthew) 4 2015 Astrobiologists have long pointed to Europa as a potential place to look for alien life, because the moon is believed to be harboring a tidally-heated global ocean of liquid water under its frozen crust. If Earth could serve as an indication, water on the Jovian moon could contain all the necessary components for life. "Europa's ocean, to the best of our knowledge, isn't that harsh of an environment," said astrobiologist Kevin Hand, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), as quoted by Discovery. That means that life could have already gained foothold there. "Europa: It may have life, so lets go there pic.twitter.com/4dVRSI840B" - Jose (@josexnyc) 25 2015 NASA is exploring several options for the mission to the Jovian moon. One of the concepts, dubbed the Europa Clipper, centers on a robotic probe that could be launched into space in the mid-2020s to make multiple flybys in close proximity to the moon. The probe will carry a set of tools to determine the thickness of Europa's frozen crust, study the surface as well as the atmosphere of the moon and collect high-resolution images of the celestial body, according to JPL developing the concept. The Europa Clipper initiative is still in the early stages of development. "Artists conception of the view if you were standing on Jupiter's moon Europa. pic.twitter.com/shOg6YLwGw" - Amanda Grace (@astro_amanda) 11 2015 The mission to Europa received major funding of $100 million last year. In its budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, the White House requested additional $30 million for a preliminary study into the concept.
Source: Sputnik International
Related Links NASA Jupiter and its Moons Explore The Ring World of Saturn and her moons The million outer planets of a star called Sol News Flash at Mercury
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |