NASA’s Europa Clipper, shown in this illustration updated in December 2020, will fly around Jupiter on an elliptical path, diving close to its moon Europa on each flyby to collect data. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA‘S Europe The Clipper mission aims to solve problems with transistor radiation as it prepares to launch an expedition to Jupiter to … Read more
Low-temperature hydrothermal vents could potentially survive for billions of years on the dark ocean floors of moons such as Jupiter’s Europa, new computer simulations have shown, as astrobiologists strive to find out whether these alien oceans could be habitable. Hydrothermal vents are a source of chemical energy as well as heat, and represent one of … Read more
Landmarks on Europa’s surface suggest that the ice crust is at the mercy of the waters below. Most importantly, a recent visit from Juno reveals what could be plume activity, which could allow future missions to sample the internal ocean without having to land. It’s been almost two years since Juno made its closest approach … Read more
Then NASA Juno spacecraft came closest Jupiter‘s moon Europe in September 2022, it captured evidence not only of briny layers of water connected to the world’s deep subsurface ocean, but also of potential scars formed by towering plumes of water vapor – and it captured that evidence on camera The majority of the Juno mission’s … Read more