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European scientists set eyes on Europa


Waspie_Dwarf

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European scientists set eyes on ice moon Europa

European scientists are meeting this week to consider their best option for exploring Europa, the moon of Jupiter.

They have a number of ideas that could fit as add-ons to US missions that are likely to be launched in the 2020s.

The concepts range from remote-sensing instruments to penetrators that would try to burrow beneath Europa's ice-encrusted surface.

Whatever option is chosen, it will first have to win the support of the European Space Agency.

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Good for them. :)

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I am just happy any time someone does something along these lines. Seems like we should be past this point by now.

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European scientists set eyes on ice moon Europa.

Apt.

Edited by Likely Guy
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2022 launch date. I wish I was years younger. Golden age folks, enjoy it while you live through it

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Is there any speculation of what type of life NASA thinks they will find? Europa is a long way from the temperature zone scientists quote all the time when they go looking for extraterrestrial life.

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Finally they are going to Europa, should have done this a long time ago, always fascinated me this particular moon.

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Is there any speculation of what type of life NASA thinks they will find? Europa is a long way from the temperature zone scientists quote all the time when they go looking for extraterrestrial life.

When I was a little kid science hadn't yet imagined life existing without sunlight as the main energy source. Even life at the bottom of the ocean was assumed to exist on the bio snow that rained down from the surface as animals above died and decayed. In '77 when they discovered life that thrived on hydrogen sulfide around thermal vents or "smokers" at extreme depths, it exploded our range of conditions where we thought life could exist. Europa has a potential heat source similar to those vents because of the massive gravitational stresses put on it by orbiting Jupiter. It's likely that this stretches and deforms the rocky core of that moon and releases vast amounts of heat from friction.

With a heat source and all the necessary chemicals for life who knows what they will find. I just hope I live long enough to find out :)

Edited by Calibeliever
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Do they expect to find anything alive (including bacteria, etc.) or is still a shot in the dark on that?

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Is there any speculation of what type of life NASA thinks they will find?

Science does not speculate.

Europa is a long way from the temperature zone scientists quote all the time when they go looking for extraterrestrial life.

The habitable zone for exoplanets is defined by the surface temperature range that would keep water liquid. The Galileo

mission to Jupiter collected data of Europa that gave the option of liquid water below the ice crust of Europa. On earth,

fish can live pretty well in such an environment.

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Science does not speculate.

The habitable zone for exoplanets is defined by the surface temperature range that would keep water liquid. The Galileo

mission to Jupiter collected data of Europa that gave the option of liquid water below the ice crust of Europa. On earth,

fish can live pretty well in such an environment.

Isn't a theory a speculation based on assumptions you want to prove? Seems that way based on some design of experiments I've seen. You have a preconceived notion (speculation) and you try to prove it if youe can.
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Isn't a theory a speculation based on assumptions you want to prove? Seems that way based on some design of experiments I've seen. You have a preconceived notion (speculation) and you try to prove it if youe can.

On the whole I'd have to agree with you. I stumbled across this the other day:

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Isn't a theory a speculation based on assumptions you want to prove? Seems that way based on some design of experiments I've seen. You have a preconceived notion (speculation) and you try to prove it if youe can.

Nope. A scientific theory is basically something that has been proven to be true.

A scientific hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomena. It is based on observation.

Since there are no observations about life on Europa one way or another toast is right, science doesn't speculate.

That doesn't mean scientists don't speculate.

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