David Bowie famously asked if there was life on Mars, but perhaps he should have been looking to Europa instead. While it won't be looking for signs of life this time, NASA's upcoming Europa Clipper mission does aim to take the first steps toward answering that question by investigating the icy surface—and potential subsurface oceans—of Europa, one of Jupiter's largest moons.
Exploring Jupiter's Ocean World with Europa Clipper is a new pathway made of educational videos, hands-on activities, and intriguing readings that cover everything there is to know about NASA's Europa Clipper mission!
Scientists are hopeful that beneath Europa's icy crust lie vast oceans of saltwater. As on our own planet, saltwater has the potential to play host to the critical ingredients of life, so if scientists can determine the makeup of Europa's oceans and get a clearer picture of what structures (like geothermal vents) exist below its icy surface, we will be able to understood if Europa's environments are hospitable to life.
NASA's Galileo mission, which operated from 1995 to 2003, conducted a preliminary investigation of Europa and sensed a magnetic field, suggesting that great saltwater oceans exist on the moon. Scientists knew then that Europa would be worth exploring further in the future.
Speaking of Galileo, Europa is known as one of Jupiter's "Galilean" moons because it was Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei who first spotted Europa and three other moons orbiting Jupiter in the early 1600s. This crucial observation lent credit to the idea of heliocentrism—that the Sun is the center of the universe, not the Earth. (Of course, we now know that the Sun is merely the center of our solar system!)
Assuming favorable weather conditions in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Europa Clipper will be launched on October 10, 2024, headed first toward Mars. Once there, it will swing back toward Earth in a move known as a "gravity assist," building the gravitational momentum it needs to reach Jupiter by April 2030.
Update (October 14, 2024): Due to Hurricane Milton, NASA opted to cancel the launch on October 10 and reschedule to a later date. Europa Clipper was successfully launched on October 14, 2024!
After settling into Jupiter's orbit, Europa Clipper will make nearly 50 flybys past Europa, gathering valuable data with each pass. All the while, NASA headquarters will be receiving and interpreting the imagery and information, looking for promising signs of an environment conducive to life.
Learn more about the Europa Clipper mission in our new pathway: Exploring Jupiter's Ocean World with Europa Clipper!
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