Galileo found clear evidence that while Ganymede, Calisto and Europa have barren frozen surfaces, beneath them likely lie vast oceans of water.<\/p>\n
And, as far as any astrobiologist knows, where there\u2019s water there\u2019s a chance of life.<\/p>\n
Kept liquid by Jupiter\u2019s huge tidal forces, Europa\u2019s ocean may be the Solar System\u2019s largest.<\/p>\n
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Up to 100 miles deep, containing twice the volume of water in all Earth\u2019s oceans, this ocean makes it a prime candidate for exploration.<\/p>\n
After a six-year, 1.8 billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper \u2013 the largest planetary science mission ever launched by NASA \u2013 will spend four years orbiting Jupiter making flybys of its icy moon.<\/p>\n
It will use nine instruments to image the surface of the moon to study its atmosphere, measure the thickness of the icy crust, confirm the presence of the ocean and attempt to measure its depth and saltiness.<\/p>\n
But before we get too excited, if there\u2019s life on Europa, Europa Clipper won\u2019t \u201csee\u201d it squirming around beneath the ice.<\/p>\n
First, the crust is thought to be at least 10 miles thick, too deep for the weak Sun at Jupiter to penetrate.<\/p>\n
Without photosynthesis, if life exists, it is expected to be more akin to the bacteria that lurk in the blackness around hydrothermal vents deep on the sea floor here on Earth.<\/p>\n
On Europa, it may live off geothermal heat, or even Jupiter\u2019s radiation fields for energy, and simple organic molecules for food.<\/p>\n
But we\u2019re getting beyond Europa Clipper\u2019s remit, which is to confirm whether the environment on the moon is compatible with these theories.<\/p>\n
A major bonus would be whether Europa Clipper spots a plume of water erupting from the surface of the moon, which it is known to do on other icy moons. That would mean the chemicals present in the water below can be analysed directly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there are life-forming conditions we expect they\u2019re deep down in the dark,\u201d said Dr Adam Masters, a space scientist at Imperial College London.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when the water comes to you, that saves a lot of hassle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The chances of getting answers are doubled however. Dr Masters works on another mission, the European Space Agency\u2019s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE).<\/p>\n
It arrives at Jupiter shortly after Europa Clipper and will study Europa as well as another prime candidate for life, Jupiter\u2019s moon Ganymede.<\/p>\n
But even if these missions find tantalising chemical evidence of life, confirming its existence, let alone understanding its alien biology, would be decades away.<\/p>\n
For that reason, one of the probes\u2019 other objectives is to look for potential landing sites on one of these icy moons.<\/p>\n
If Europa Clipper and JUICE finds evidence that Jupiter\u2019s moons have the right conditions for life, the challenge for future space scientists will be figuring out how to get through miles of ice to see it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This post appeared first on sky.com<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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