[merged] NASA Planning Probe to Europa

[bison]

NASA announced that it is planning a probe to Jupiter's moon Europa, and will entertain proposals for projects to accompany the probe, in the Spring. They wish to learn about Europa's icy surface, its subsurface ocean, how the two interact, the conditions for possible life there, and the general conditions on Europa, as they are affected by Jupiter. One hopes that an instrument to analyze water vapor plumes (seen before above Europa's surface) for signs of life, will be included. See linked article below, for more details:

http://finance.yahoo...015518633.html

Edited February 3, 2015 by bison

[Merc14]

http://earthsky.org/space/nasa-steps-closer-to-a-europa-mission?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=65cad50010-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-65cad50010-394012957

NASA steps closer to a Europa mission

The space community is buzzing with news of positive steps toward NASA’s planned mission to Jupiter’s fascinating moon Europa.

This week, as Earth passes between the sun and Jupiter, and the giant planet looms brightest in our sky for 2015, the space community is buzzing with news of positive steps toward NASA’s planned mission to Jupiter’s fascinating moon Europa. On Monday (February 2, 2015), NASA administrator Charles Bolden mentioned the start of a selection process for projects to accompany a Europa mission. On the same day, the White House announced its fiscal year 2016 budget request for NASA, allocating $18.5 billion to the space agency, half a billion more than last year, and including $30 million to formulate this mission. This is in addition to the $100 million added to NASA’s budget last year to begin design work for a Europa mission.

A mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa – which is about the same size as Earth’s moon – is a long-cherished dream of space scientists and space fans. We’ve all been fascinated by the little moon since the two Voyager spacecraft swept through the Jovian system in 1979, providing the first detailed images of Europa’s icy surface. Those images caused many scientists to begin to speculate about the possibility of a liquid ocean, and possibly life, below Europa’s ice.

Article continues: http://earthsky.org/space/nasa-steps-closer-to-a-europa-mission?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=65cad50010-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-65cad50010-394012957

[Merc14]

Another story re. funding for a mission to Europa

http://www.extremete...the-next-decade

NASA makes plans to head to Europa and search for life

NASA has traditionally struggled for funding since the space race died down, but there was a nice little uptick in funding from congress in the most recent annual budget. The space agency even got more funding that it asked for, including $100 million earmarked for the planning of a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. NASA now plans to request an additional $30 million to fund the preliminary study of a plan called Europa Clipper, which could be mankind’s first step toward finding out if there’s any life in Europa’s vast subsurface oceans.

The holy grail of Europa exploration would be to penetrate the ice sheet and actually get a look at conditions inside that liquid reservoir. However, the technology to do that is still decades away. That’s not to say NASA isn’t thinking about it. There are concept studies being performed on various robots that could conduct exploration of a subsurface ocean like the one thought to exist in Europa. The Europa Clipper is NASA’s first step, though.

This mission would build on what we learned from the Cassini mission to Saturn. That probe has performed a number of approaches to Saturn’s moon Titan, which is famous for having expansive lakes of liquid hydrocarbons and a thick atmosphere. Europa Clipper would settle into an orbit around Jupiter that allowed it to make multiple flybys of Europa at various distances. The closest passes would be just 25 kilometers above the surface.

Based on early plans, Europa Clipper will be a larger spacecraft with two 29-foot solar panels and a main body the size of a school bus. It will be similar in scale to the Hubble Space Telescope, actually. It will carry heavy radiation shielding to protect it from the dangerous particles zipping around Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field. It will likely also carry a special double shielded “vault” where the most sensitive equipment will be housed.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Merc14

[bison]

Testing Europa's ocean for signs of life might not require breaching its icy crust, which would be a very difficult undertaking. Europa has been observed to emit plumes of water vapor. These very likely come from that ocean, squeezed out through cracks in the ice by the tidal flexing that Jupiter applies to its moon. A probe could fly through these plumes and secure samples for analysis.

[paperdyer]

This will be a very important mission. Arthur C Clarke would be quite pleased. I just hope he wasn't right about everything and some black objects start showing up.

HAL - Are you there?

[ancient astronaut]

Real life Europa report (sans astronauts).

Edited February 4, 2015 by ancient astronaut

[Just Dave]

Real life Europa report (sans astronauts).

And what if the ending is the same? What then

[seeder]

Excellent news!

[jarjarbinks]

maybe we will be able to see these insects-philosophers that Lovecraft told us

[ancient astronaut]

And what if the ending is the same? What then

Cool!!! That's what then.

[u2canbfmj]

They were warned to never visit.

[bubblykiss]

I hope that they corroborate with the NSA.

We need to know if there is life on Europa and if that life is engaged in unamerican activities.

[Gumball]

TOYNBEE IDEA

IN MOViE `2001

RESURRECT DEAD

ON PLANET JUPITER

[Rolci]

All these world are yours except...

[Merc14]

TOYNBEE IDEA

IN MOViE `2001

RESURRECT DEAD

ON PLANET JUPITER

[bison]

maybe we will be able to see these insects-philosophers that Lovecraft told us

The 'insect philosophers' will apparently have to wait a while longer for a visit from us. HPL imagined then as inhabiting 'Jupiter's forth moon', That's Callisto, not Europa!

[Just Dave]

Cool!!! That's what then.

We will be watchin' till last minute of that " elusive " playback

[bubblykiss]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toynbee_tiles

[Merc14]

http://en.wikipedia....i/Toynbee_tiles

Thanks!

[bubblykiss]

There is a rather interesting documentary on them. It is low budget but the material is intriguing enough to make up for it.