Is There Life on Europa? NASA's Study on the Upcoming Lander Mission

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    Europa Nasa Study
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around NASA's study of a mission to investigate the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, with a focus on the potential for life beneath its icy crust. Participants explore the mission's objectives, the significance of landing sites, and the historical context of previous missions related to Europa.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • NASA's mission aims to deliver a small lander to Europa to study its surface and search for signs of life, focusing on extracting ice samples for analysis.
  • Some participants inquire about the existence of surface vents on Europa and suggest that landing near such vents could yield more significant evidence of subsurface conditions.
  • Data indicates that surface vents may exist, and there is uncertainty regarding the timeline for fixing the landing site, with the multiple-flyby mission potentially aiding in site selection.
  • A participant reflects on past disappointments regarding mission priorities, expressing a belief that Europa holds much to discover, despite the success of other missions like New Horizons.
  • Another participant shares a link to an article discussing the missions' goals of determining Europa's habitability and searching for signs of life.
  • Some participants express enjoyment in reading about the mission in German, noting the linguistic connection between Europe and Europa.
  • There is a playful comment suggesting that the spelling of Europa makes the idea of life there seem more certain, though this is not presented as a factual claim.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of curiosity and uncertainty regarding the mission's objectives and the potential for life on Europa. There are no clear agreements or consensus on the existence of surface vents or the best landing strategies, indicating ongoing debate and exploration of ideas.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the mission's dependence on radiation damage affecting the probe's lifespan and the potential for additional sampling beyond the nominal mission time. There is also reference to historical mission decisions that may have influenced current exploration priorities.

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NASA did a study how to investigate the surface of Europa. It is separate from the Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission, which has a small lander as well, but only with a small budget. Confusingly, the same artist's impressions are used for both. There is also ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, launching 2022.

The mission would deliver a small lander on Jupiter's moon Europa. The moon has a thick ice crust above a deep ocean, where life could exist. While there are ideas of probes melting through the ice, this mission would just study the surface: During the 20 days of nominal mission time, five ice samples would be extracted and searched for cell-like structures, organic molecules, and substances outside chemical equilibrium. The mission lifetime is determined by radiation damage - it is quite possible that the probe survives longer and can take more samples. Evidence for life could be found if (a) there is life and (b) some cells or chemical products of life reach the surface. While that would certainly be the most exciting possible discovery: Even without traces of life we could learn a lot about the surface chemistry of this exotic world.
 
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Are there surface vents on Europa? The artist's rendering seems to show one. Wouldn't landing near one of the vents provide a lot more evidence of what is beneath the surface ice?
 
Data suggests that they exist, and I guess they'll try to land close to them if possible. It is unclear how far in advance they have to fix the landing site. The multiply-flyby mission will probably help finding a good spot.
 
mfb said:
NASA did a study how to investigate the surface of Europa. It is separate from the Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission, which has a small lander as well, but only with a small budget. Confusingly, the same artist's impressions are used for both. There is also ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, launching 2022.

The mission would deliver a small lander on Jupiter's moon Europa. The moon has a thick ice crust above a deep ocean, where life could exist. While there are ideas of probes melting through the ice, this mission would just study the surface: During the 20 days of nominal mission time, five ice samples would be extracted and searched for cell-like structures, organic molecules, and substances outside chemical equilibrium. The mission lifetime is determined by radiation damage - it is quite possible that the probe survives longer and can take more samples. Evidence for life could be found if (a) there is life and (b) some cells or chemical products of life reach the surface. While that would certainly be the most exciting possible discovery: Even without traces of life we could learn a lot about the surface chemistry of this exotic world.
I remember well around the late seventies I think, when a proposed Europa mission was pidgeon holed in favour of the highly successful "New Horizons" probe that is now well past Pluto.
I was bitterly disappointed at the time, as I believed we had much more to discover and learn from Europa...That disappointment has subdued somewhat particularly with the more than successful New Horizons.
 
Nice to see progress for the fly-by spacecraft .

All the reports about searching for life on Europa are more fun to read in German, where Europe is "Europa", identical to the moon's name.
 
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mfb said:
All the reports about searching for life on Europa are more fun to read in German, where Europe is "Europa", identical to the moon's name.
What a cool perspective, I hadn't thought of the spelling. It seems life in Europa is a sure bet.
 

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