Posted on 05/26/2015 5:06:39 PM PDT by BenLurkin
In a major move forward on a long dreamed of mission to investigate the habitability of the subsurface ocean of Jupiters mysterious moon Europa, top NASA officials announced today, Tuesday, May 26, the selection of nine science instruments that will fly on the agencys long awaited planetary science mission to an intriguing world that many scientists suspect could support life.
We are on our way to Europa, proclaimed John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington, at a media briefing today outlining NASAs plans for a mission dedicated to launching in the early to mid-2020s.
...
The young surface seems to be in contact with an undersea ocean.
The Europa mission goal is to investigate whether the tantalizing icy Jovian moon, similar in size to Earths moon, could harbor conditions suitable for the evolution and sustainability of life in the suspected ocean.
It will be equipped with high resolution cameras, radar and spectrometers, several generations beyond anything before to map the surface in unprecedented detail and determine the moons composition and subsurface character. And it will search for subsurface lakes and seek to sample erupting vapor plumes like those occurring today on Saturns tiny moon Enceladus.
Europa has tantalized us with its enigmatic icy surface and evidence of a vast ocean, following the amazing data from 11 flybys of the Galileo spacecraft over a decade ago and recent Hubble observations suggesting plumes of water shooting out from the moon, says Grunsfeld.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
Huh?
All these worlds belong to you except Europa. Attempt no landing...
It sounds like the package is all remote sensing. No sampling drills or robotic bathysphere.
Huh?
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Its the same as it ever was.
You know........an octopus’s garden.
I was close ;)
Beware of the Monolith! Stone-cold creatures, they be!
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