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Liquid lakes close to moon's skin
BBC ^
| November 16, 2011
| Jennifer Carpenter
Posted on 11/16/2011 11:27:03 AM PST by decimon
Scientists have found the best evidence yet for water just beneath the surface of Jupiter's icy moon, Europa.
Analysis of the moon's surface suggests plumes of warmer water well up beneath its icy shell, melting and fracturing the outer layers.
The results, published in the journal Nature, predict that small lakes exist only 3km below the crust.
Any liquid water could represent a potential habitat for life.
From models of magnetic forces, and images of its surface, scientists have long suspected that a giant ocean, roughly 160km (100 miles) deep, lies somewhere between 10-30km beneath the ice crust.
Many astrobiologists have dreamed of following in the footsteps of Arthur C Clarke's fictional character David Bowman, who, in the novel Odyssey Two, discovers aquatic life-forms in the deep Europan sea.
But punching holes through the moon's thick, icy outer layers has always seemed untenable.
The discovery of shallow liquid water by an American team makes a space mission to recover water from the moon much more plausible.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; europa; jupiter
1
posted on
11/16/2011 11:27:04 AM PST
by
decimon
To: SunkenCiv
What spring is like ping.
2
posted on
11/16/2011 11:27:43 AM PST
by
decimon
To: decimon
3
posted on
11/16/2011 11:33:22 AM PST
by
null and void
(MSGT Dean Hopkins USMC (ret) WWII-Korea-Vietnam 11/9/1925-10/22/2011 My hero, my Dad)
To: decimon
All that moisture helps keep a moon’s skin soft and suppple.
To: decimon
Should we somehow actually make the commitment to go and discover Space again, and research the moon, how will they penetrate the moon without having the vacuum of space suck out all the liquid once penetrated?
5
posted on
11/16/2011 12:15:26 PM PST
by
theDentist
(fybo; qwerty ergo typo : i type, therefore i misspelll)
To: theDentist
Should we somehow actually make the commitment to go and discover Space again, and research the moon, how will they penetrate the moon without having the vacuum of space suck out all the liquid once penetrated?Gravity.
6
posted on
11/16/2011 12:33:42 PM PST
by
decimon
To: null and void
7
posted on
11/16/2011 12:36:04 PM PST
by
Shimmer1
(To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks (Heinlein))
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8
posted on
11/16/2011 1:29:56 PM PST
by
TheOldLady
(FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
To: theDentist
Some of the liquid will boil off, but the remaining liquid will freeze out on top. It all depends on the temperature of the liquid and the local pressure (nearly zero in space).
MD
9
posted on
11/16/2011 3:25:33 PM PST
by
MikeD
(We live in a world where babies are like velveteen rabbits that only become real if they are loved.)
To: decimon; KevinDavis; 75thOVI; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; ...
10
posted on
11/16/2011 7:06:56 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: decimon
Quayle for PRESIDENT!
Cheers!
11
posted on
11/16/2011 9:08:42 PM PST
by
grey_whiskers
(The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
To: decimon
Next stop: Moonbase Alpha
12
posted on
11/16/2011 9:13:06 PM PST
by
1010RD
(First, Do No Harm)
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