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An interplanetary probe to be sent by NASA to one of Jupiter’s icy moons will mark a significant milestone in humanity’s quest to uncover extraterrestrial life, US space scientists said Thursday.
Scheduled for launch in October, the Clipper spacecraft is set to set out on a journey to Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons. AFP informed of. Europa holds special significance because it is the closest celestial body within our Solar System that may harbor conditions favorable for life.
“One of the fundamental questions NASA wants to understand is, are we alone in the universe?” said mission project scientist Bob Pappalardo. AFP,
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“If we were to find the conditions for life, and then someday actually find life on a place like Europa, it would be said that there are two examples of life in our own solar system: Earth and Europa. “It would be a huge leap to understand how common life can be throughout the universe.”
The probe, which cost $5 billion, is currently housed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, located in a special “clean room”.
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AFP This environment is reported to be sealed and accessible only to individuals wearing full-body protective gear. Such stringent measures have been taken to protect the probe against possible contamination by Earth’s microbes, which will reduce the risk of carrying any unwanted organisms to Europa.
Additionally, following transfer to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Clipper spacecraft will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, marking the beginning of a more than five-year journey. This trajectory involves passing by Mars to use gravity assist for additional velocity.
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By 2031, the spacecraft is projected to achieve an orbit around Jupiter and its moon Europa. Once deployed, it will begin a comprehensive investigation of Europa, a celestial body believed to be shrouded in layers of frozen water, offering fascinating possibilities for scientific exploration.
“We have instruments like cameras, and spectrometers, a magnetometer, and a radar that…can penetrate directly into the ice, bounce off liquid water and come back to the surface to tell us how thick the ice is and how liquid Where the water is located,” Pappalardo said.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Published: April 12, 2024, 01:47 PM IST
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