Could Jupiter’s icy moons support life? NASA’s new mission explained in 5 points

Here are the top 5 key facts you need to know about the Jupiter-bound Europa Clipper spacecraft. Watch video for details:

1. Mission Goals: Europa Clipper will orbit Jupiter and focus on the planet’s ice-covered moon Europa. NASA said the Europa Clipper spacecraft is not a life-detection mission. “Its primary science goal is to determine whether there are places beneath the Moon’s icy surface that could support life,” NASA said.

Europa is considered one of the “most promising potentially habitable environments” in the Solar System.

The main questions about Jupiter’s moon Europa that the mission aims to answer are: How thick and how active is its icy shell? How deep is its global ocean? Does it have the conditions necessary to sustain life?

2. How big is the Europa Clipper spacecraft: NASA said it is the largest spacecraft with a planetary mission ever. It says, “With its massive solar array deployed, Europa Clipper spans more than 100 feet (about 30 meters) – about the length of a basketball court – and is the largest spacecraft ever developed by NASA for any planetary mission. Gaya is the largest spacecraft ever launched.” The spacecraft will be approximately 16 feet (5 meters) tall.

3. Why Study Europa: According to NASA, Jupiter’s moon shows strong evidence of a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust. It is suspected to contain all the “ingredients” necessary for life as we know it. Visiting Europa answers questions like “How did the universe begin and evolve?” Can help answer big questions like.

Also read: NASA says solar eclipses more common on Jupiter than Earth, ‘doubles, triples and multiples…’ view photos

4. How Europa Clipper will study Jupiter’s icy moon: NASA explained in a video that Europa Clipper will perform 50 flybys of Europa to collect measurements of the interior ocean, map the surface composition and geology, and look for plumes of water vapor rising from the icy crust.

Also read: NASA’s Juno spacecraft captures Jupiter’s moon Io at its closest approach

Watch this video to understand in detail how NASA will use science instruments to study the inside and outside of Europa:

5. Launch date, time and place; Mission Timeline: The Europa Clipper spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Its launch period will open on October 10, NASA said. The spacecraft will reach Jupiter in 2030. Once reaching Jupiter’s orbit, it will make about 50 rounds of Europa, shifting its flight path to a different location for each encounter so that it can eventually scan almost the entire moon.

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Published: April 14, 2024, 10:47 PM IST