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Europe selects 'Juice' Jupiter mission

By T.K. Randall
May 3, 2012 · Comment icon

11 comments

Image Credit: NASA/JHU/APL

The European Space Agency is to send a 1bn-Euro space probe to visit Jupiter and its icy moons.

Nicknamed 'Juice', the new mission will launch in 2022 with the goal of studying both Jupiter and icy moons Europa, Callisto and Ganymede over an eight year period. It will become the first spacecraft to ever orbit this type of moon with plans to crash land in to the surface once the mission is over.

One of the main goals of the probe would be to determine if life could exist on or below the ice."There are four conditions required for life to form," said Prof Michele Dougherty. "The great thing about the icy moons in the Jupiter system is that we think those four conditions might exist there; and Juice will tell us if that is the case."

The European Space Agency (Esa) is to mount a billion-euro mission to Jupiter and its icy moons.

Source: BBC News | Comments (11)

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Recent comments on this story

#2 Posted by Wearer of Hats 12 years ago

An almost bankrupt EU can spend a billion dollars shooting rockets at Jupiter.

#3 Posted by Him over there 12 years ago

If the EU finds life on one of the moons of Jupiter they will want to offer it membership of the EU and we will then have the aliens at our borders, in our hospitals, claiming benefits and child allowance on broods of hundreds of offspring.

#4 Posted by skookum 12 years ago

Makes a change to spend the money on something other than Greece I suppose.

#5 Posted by TheMolePatrol 12 years ago

So what if EU's broke, at least they are still willing to spend money they don't have on peaceful things rather than war like the US does. It's a miracle we even have NASA still after 9/11 how they funneled money into security and war.

#6 Posted by questionmark 12 years ago

An almost bankrupt EU can spend a billion dollars shooting rockets at Jupiter. The EU is not broke, 5 of 27 countries are...which is not quite the same. ESA was financed in its majority by the Germans anyway... and they are doing quite well...

#7 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 12 years ago

An almost bankrupt EU can spend a billion dollars shooting rockets at Jupiter. If the EU finds life on one of the moons of Jupiter they will want to offer it membership of the EU Makes a change to spend the money on something other than Greece I suppose. So what if EU's broke Before this discussion goes even further off topic (it is, after all, a thread on the exploration of Jupiter, not European economics) there is something you probably should know: This is NOT a European Union mission. It IS a European Space Agency mission. Apart from both being European based organisations and sharing some... [More]

#8 Posted by DONTEATUS 12 years ago

Agree any attempt to fly a mission to Jupiters moons is a wise investment . No matter whom spearheads it. I would think that its actually one of our best chances to find life. Im ready to go !

#9 Posted by pallidin 12 years ago

I'm all for science and exploration, but given our global circumstances shouldn't we be focusing on LIFE on EARTH ?

#10 Posted by stevewinn 12 years ago

about time we went to jupiter and am pleased ESA are taking a lead role.

#11 Posted by questionmark 12 years ago

I'm all for science and exploration, but given our global circumstances shouldn't we be focusing on LIFE on EARTH ? We should do our best to find a substitute, as we are taking this place apart fast!

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