Potential new habitat for life

[Von Bismarck]

In a significant finding in the search for life beyond Earth, scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and elsewhere have discovered what appears to be a body of liquid water the volume of the North American Great Lakes locked inside the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa.

The water could represent a potential habitat for life, and many more such lakes might exist throughout the shallow regions of Europa's shell, lead author Britney Schmidt, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Geophysics, writes in the journal Nature.

Further increasing the potential for life, the newly discovered lake is covered by floating ice shelves that seem to be collapsing, providing a mechanism for transferring nutrients and energy between the surface and a vast ocean already inferred to exist below the thick ice shell.

Scientists find evidence for 'great lake' on Jupiter's moon Europa, potential new habitat for life

[RedSquirrel]

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE

And so on, to quote the novel 2010: Odyssey two.

[Swamptick]

I say we land there then.

[woopypooky]

liquid ocean......whether it is H2O?

[27vet]

Send a mission there. There are already missions from other planets that have visited. Their snowmobile tracks are quite visible on the surface.

[BrandOfAmber]

You are indeed correct RedSquirrel. Few give credit to Richard Hoagland when he is dead right about things. Sir Arthur C. Clarke based his entire plot-line around Richard's 1978 theory that Europa had liquid water under and around the ice. Hoagland proposed that the tidal forces of Jupiter and its other moons would be great enough to provide friction heating and keep the oceans liquid.

Clarke's novels proposed that life indeed exist(s) on Europa, within these seas, and that some of that life is intelligent (primary intelligence).

In Clarke's novels, we are not to go there, so as not to interfere with this life. Its a moral meme, reminding us as a race that we are not Gods. We may yet become Starchildren, however even then we will not be Gods. All of these worlds are yours, except Europa. Because all of these worlds are dead, except Europa.

Clarke may have been wrong technically, in that life could well exist on other worlds within our Solar system. Mars and Saturn's moon Titan both show promise for life, although perhaps not as we know it. And the more we learn about our own system, and about the possibilities for life outside of Earth (silicon based life, for example), the greater the possibility for life becomes here in the system of Sol.

This discovery is a wonderful confirmation of several brilliant a priori predictions from pioneering scientists and artists.

Congrats to Richard and to Arthur, and to all those with open minds. This is a day of victory for Science, and for discovery.

-Brand of Amber

[stevewinn]

this is something i can never understand europa has the best chance of life surely - best evidence of liquid water/ocean. moons have very little in the way of atmospheres so less chance of probes burning up on entry like we've witnessed on mars. so the question is why in the search for life dont we send probes to europa? rovers/landers.

[Von Bismarck]

this is something i can never understand europa has the best chance of life surely - best evidence of liquid water/ocean. moons have very little in the way of atmospheres so less chance of probes burning up on entry like we've witnessed on mars. so the question is why in the search for life dont we send probes to europa? rovers/landers.

Money.

I think NASA lacks budget.

If NASAs planetary budget is augmented, then the program will also carry out the first in-depth

exploration of Jupiters icy moon Europa. This moon, with its probable vast subsurface ocean sandwiched

between a potentially active silicate interior and a highly dynamic surface ice shell, offers one of the most

promising extraterrestrial habitable environments in our solar system and a plausible model for habitable

environments outside it. The Jupiter system in which Europa resides hosts an astonishing diversity of

phenomena, illuminating fundamental planetary processes. While Voyager and Galileo taught us much

about Europa and the Jupiter system, the relatively primitive instrumentation of those missions, and the

low data volumes returned, left many questions unanswered. Major discoveries surely remain to be made.

The first step in understanding the potential of the outer solar system as an abode for life is a Europa

mission with the goal of confirming the presence of an interior ocean, characterizing the satellites ice

shell, and understanding its geological history.

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/docs/Vision_and_Voyages-FINAL.pdf

China on the other hand should think about Europa mission, but they seem to be more interested in our own moon. China is really the only country which have the budget to do so.

Russia - First man in space.

USA - First man to walk on a foreign celestial body.

China - First to discover life on a foreign celestial body.

Pretty fair.

Edited November 17, 2011 by BFB

[RedSquirrel]

Russia - First man in space.

USA - First man to walk on a foreign celestial body.

China - First to discover life on a foreign celestial body.

Pretty fair.

Funnily enough, again in 2010: Odyssey two... the China Space mission DID find life on Europa. To quote Arthur Conan Doyle: "Nature has again imitated art."

[diablo_04]

Send a mission there. There are already missions from other planets that have visited. Their snowmobile tracks are quite visible on the surface.

Its not a close up photo, the tracks that you are describing are cracks in the ice caused by Jupiter gravity

[dank]

If you've ever seen the one franc note (not 1 but 10) it definitely opens the opportunity for a lot of things, nothing that I will say in specific.

http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f2c9b81e49f1.jpg

Edited November 18, 2011 by dank

[Mike 215]

No matter what evidence there is about life on that moon, the unscientific community will never admit it. In their precious theory of evolution, life only began on earth as a accident. IT cannot happen on other planets or moons.

OF course, the supporters of the unscientific will quote many scientists as saying life outside earth is possible, but they will never admit even if an alien jumps on top of them in bed.

[ohio state buckeyes]

How do know for sure a civilization there ?

[Xanthurion2]

pretty cool. but if there is life, it will probably just be bacteria or something

[ShadowSot]

No matter what evidence there is about life on that moon, the unscientific community will never admit it. In their precious theory of evolution, life only began on earth as a accident. IT cannot happen on other planets or moons.

OF course, the supporters of the unscientific will quote many scientists as saying life outside earth is possible, but they will never admit even if an alien jumps on top of them in bed.

Right.... which is why the keep looking for life on Mars. Why they continously search for evidnece of life elsewhere in the solar system (Titan being a personal favorite of mine. Europa is neat... but Titan is just.. cool)

Actually, that life only developed on Earth would be something truly miraculous.

It's very likely, simply looking at numbers, that life has developed elsewhere in the Universe.

[Bavarian Raven]

Mike 215, on 18 November 2011 - 01:02 AM, said:

No matter what evidence there is about life on that moon, the unscientific community will never admit it. In their precious theory of evolution, life only began on earth as a accident. IT cannot happen on other planets or moons.

OF course, the supporters of the unscientific will quote many scientists as saying life outside earth is possible, but they will never admit even if an alien jumps on top of them in bed.

Right.... which is why the keep looking for life on Mars. Why they continously search for evidnece of life elsewhere in the solar system (Titan being a personal favorite of mine. Europa is neat... but Titan is just.. cool)

Actually, that life only developed on Earth would be something truly miraculous.

It's very likely, simply looking at numbers, that life has developed elsewhere in the Universe.

this,

though i am more of a Europan fan myself

Edited November 18, 2011 by Bavarian Raven

[stevewinn]

Right.... which is why the keep looking for life on Mars. Why they continously search for evidnece of life elsewhere in the solar system (Titan being a personal favorite of mine. Europa is neat... but Titan is just.. cool)

Actually, that life only developed on Earth would be something truly miraculous.

It's very likely, simply looking at numbers, that life has developed elsewhere in the Universe.

i'll be bold enough to say. if we find life elsewhere in our solar system on the moons for example - titan, Europa or even Ganymede then life surely will be found in most if not all solar systems.

[ShadowSot]

this,

though i am more of a Europan fan myself

There isonly Titan!

No, seriously both are good candidates for life, and I want to add and stress here, as we know it.

I like Titan mostly due to it's atmosphere and liquid methane lakes, as well as being the onlyplanet we have regular audio recordings for.

Carl Sagan mentioned a story once, a while back,concerning possible forms of life in Jupiter's atmosphere.

I'm looking forward to life being discovered elsewhere, but I'm even more excited by the possibility of bizarre life, that may only have a nodding relationship to life as we know it from Earth.

That would be so cool! Silicone life has already been theorized... but there may be forms of life more strange than we could imagine, just from sitting here on Earth.

i'll be bold enough to say. if we find life elsewhere in our solar system on the moons for example - titan, Europa or even Ganymede then life surely will be found in most if not all solar systems.

It'll certainly increase the possibilities. A goldilocks zone would have to be added around the massive planets we have detected around other stars.

What we'd consider habitable would have to be expanded, certainly.

[Just Dave]

No matter what evidence there is about life on that moon, the unscientific community will never admit it. In their precious theory of evolution, life only began on earth as a accident. IT cannot happen on other planets or moons.

OF course, the supporters of the unscientific will quote many scientists as saying life outside earth is possible, but they will never admit even if an alien jumps on top of them in bed.

And where is the proof that we are only race out there??? This is a joke... You cannot say we are accident, it is unlogical. Our race lacks knowledge so you cannot say something you don't know ( scientist i mean, not your post ).

Better question how many accidents happened in vastness of space? Should ask that science community, i guess they are limited by their brainpower..

One thing, any and all missions to space are HUGE achievement for our race!

Edited November 18, 2011 by Nuke_em

[ShadowSot]

And where is the proof that we are only race out there??? This is a joke... You cannot say we are accident, it is unlogical. Our race lacks knowledge so you cannot say something you don't know ( scientist i mean, not your post ).

Better question how many accidents happened in vastness of space? Should ask that science community, i guess they are limited by their brainpower..

And scientists answer we don't know. We hope it's fairly common. We'd like to find life.

Even if it's relatively rare... there are more stars than grains of sand. There's a good chance that there are more planets even than that.

Even if it's rare, life is almost certainly out there.

As you might know if you ever actually look to see what the scientists are saying.

[Mike 215]

The scientists keep looking for life and the poor taxpayers are given the bills for these searches which amount to tens of billions of dollars. OF course, the scientists benefit from these programs in high salaries and benefits. And they keep justifying the spending of these billions by telling the tax payers again and again life is possible. And they justify it by claiming their phoney math and statistics prove that life in space does exist.

In my opinion life does esist on Mars as was shown by photos taken of the planet in 1955 showing it covered with vegetation and a blue atmosphere, but the unscientific community does not want to hear about it. We are shows phoney pictures of Mars and another bodies which have life. OF course they are not perfect like the pictures of the Martian rocks which caused a tremendos debate on this site on whether they were moved or not. Yes, they were moved in the film studio by technicans trying to make the rocks look more realistic.

[Just Dave]

And scientists answer we don't know. We hope it's fairly common. We'd like to find life.

Even if it's relatively rare... there are more stars than grains of sand. There's a good chance that there are more planets even than that.

Even if it's rare, life is almost certainly out there.

As you might know if you ever actually look to see what the scientists are saying.

I agree but right now they will probably deny any life execpt us. It doesnt go well with our accident theory. They want proof

( the scientist community ) but it is impossible to do so, first we need to "probe" our solar system planets. Don't wanna sound like a conspiracist, but maybe nasa has already found something on those planets. We as public can just seat tight and wait for it. We are getting highly advanced and in my opinion results will come soon, in my lifetime for sure.

[Bavarian Raven]

No, seriously both are good candidates for life, and I want to add and stress here, as we know it.

I like Titan mostly due to it's atmosphere and liquid methane lakes, as well as being the onlyplanet we have regular audio recordings for.

i do agree though, methane-based life would be wicked '

The scientists keep looking for life and the poor taxpayers are given the bills for these searches which amount to tens of billions of dollars. OF course, the scientists benefit from these programs in high salaries and benefits. And they keep justifying the spending of these billions by telling the tax payers again and again life is possible. And they justify it by claiming their phoney math and statistics prove that life in space does exist.

In my opinion life does esist on Mars as was shown by photos taken of the planet in 1955 showing it covered with vegetation and a blue atmosphere, but the unscientific community does not want to hear about it. We are shows phoney pictures of Mars and another bodies which have life. OF course they are not perfect like the pictures of the Martian rocks which caused a tremendos debate on this site on whether they were moved or not. Yes, they were moved in the film studio by technicans trying to make the rocks look more realistic.

the search/expanding of useful knowledge is never useless, despite what you seem to be saying..

[ShadowSot]

The scientists keep looking for life and the poor taxpayers are given the bills for these searches which amount to tens of billions of dollars. OF course, the scientists benefit from these programs in high salaries and benefits. And they keep justifying the spending of these billions by telling the tax payers again and again life is possible. And they justify it by claiming their phoney math and statistics prove that life in space does exist.

In my opinion life does esist on Mars as was shown by photos taken of the planet in 1955 showing it covered with vegetation and a blue atmosphere, but the unscientific community does not want to hear about it. We are shows phoney pictures of Mars and another bodies which have life. OF course they are not perfect like the pictures of the Martian rocks which caused a tremendos debate on this site on whether they were moved or not. Yes, they were moved in the film studio by technicans trying to make the rocks look more realistic.

NASA and space programs in the US are possibly the lowest funded programs next to oceanic study. They do not have money to throw around like you think they do. Further, NASA is not the only space aggency active in space. Don't forget ESA and JAXA especially.

I agree but right now they will probably deny any life execpt us. It doesnt go well with our accident theory. They want proof

( the scientist community ) but it is impossible to do so, first we need to "probe" our solar system planets. Don't wanna sound like a conspiracist, but maybe nasa has already found something on those planets. We as public can just seat tight and wait for it. We are getting highly advanced and in my opinion results will come soon, in my lifetime for sure.

Except every single astronomer and scientist I know of fully expects to find life, aybe not in our solar system, that's not so universal, but definitely in the galaxy.

Do you ever actually read what scientists do or just try to push your views onto them?

[Mike 215]

The next space probe to Mars will cost over one billion dollars. It does not seem that NASA is suffering.

Notice how fast the scientists denounced that face on Mars taken in 1970s. They went to great length to photoshop picture after picture until they thought the found a way to prove it did not resemble a face. It took years, but the finally accomplished their goal.

Let us say they found the picture was real. How would people, and indeed institutions, react to such a discovery? Start wth the religions.