Life on Europa

Europa viewed by the Galileo orbiter on 7 September 1996.

There is speculation on the possibility that Jupiter's moon Europa could harbor life in its subsurface ocean.[1][2][3][4]

The ocean of Europa is constantly kept warm due to tidal forcing from Jupiter. Of possible relevance are linear features on Europa that might be cracks in the ice.[5] However, due to the high radiation in the space environment surrounding Jupiter, it is unlikely that anything could live on the Europan surface.[5]

Plumes

Europa might have liquid plumes jetting up from the surface, according to observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. However, these have not been confirmed.[6]

Planned missions

Two missions to Europa will investigate its habitability: NASA's Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission,[7][8] and, planned to launch in 2022, the ESA's Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer.[9] The Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission is planned to launch in the 2020s, and both missions would closely study Europa from Jupiter orbit, to avoid prolonged exposure to the intense radiation in the moon's vicinity.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lemonick, Michael D. (March 15, 2013). "An organic ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa?". TIME. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ "The High Priority and Relevance of Europa Exploration" (PDF). Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Jupiter's Icy Moon Europa: Best Bet for Alien Life?". Space.com. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ Phillips, Tony (November 16, 2011). "New Evidence for Liquid Water on Europa". NASA Science. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Strategies of Life Detection. 2008. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-387-77516-6. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Wall, Mike (December 29, 2014). "Jupiter Moon Europa's Giant Geysers are Missing". Space.com. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  7. ↑ Mazza, Ed (June 22, 2015). "NASA Preps Mission To Search for Life on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  8. ↑ "All Systems Go for NASA's Mission to Jupiter Moon Europa". NASA. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Esa selects 1bn-euro Juice probe to Jupiter". Jonathan Amos. BBC News Online. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2015-09-24.

Further reading

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