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In October, NASA plans to launch a probe to an icy marble named Europa, one of Jupiter’s 92 known moons.What is the probe’s main purpose? To help scientists figure it out europa It can support life as we know it.
This robot explorer is aptly called. european clipper, and according to a release issued by the agency on Tuesday (January 30), Clipper appears to be pretty much ready for space travel. This means that all nine scientific instruments and communication systems are Jet propulsion laboratory (literally) my name plus Southern California (JPL).But it is completely different story.
The results of this technology include instruments such as a mass spectrometer to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of Europa’s gas molecules, a surface dust analyzer, and an imaging spectrometer to study the interaction of light and matter to map the moon’s ice. It is included. salts and organic molecules.
Related: Poem for the European Clipper: U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limon reveals hymn to fly on NASA’s Jupiter Moon mission
Of course, the Europa Clipper also has a camera. NASA The mission is to take wide-angle and narrow-angle images of the moon’s icy surface. You can expect some cool color photos of what it’s like to stand on the moon hundreds of millions of miles from Earth.
This is very interesting. Aside from the obvious reason, new, detailed data about Europa’s surface could explain some of the strange things scientists have been seeing. For example, research suggests that NASA’s Juno spacecraft has detected it. recent activities regional.
Speaking of which, thanks to its incredibly long distance, the Clipper is scheduled to arrive in Jupiter The spacecraft will orbit the giant planet for at least four years, during which time it will make 49 approaches to Europa.
“Working together, these instruments can answer some of Europa’s most pressing questions,” Robert Pappalardo, the mission’s project scientist, said in a statement. “We learn what makes Europe tick, from its core and rocky interior, to its sea and ice shell, to its razor-thin atmosphere and surroundings. space environment. “
This mission feels like a big deal, since many scientists consider Europe to be one of the best places on Earth. solar system look for evidence of alien life. It meets many of the requirements that the world must be suitable for life (at least as we know it), including a salty underground ocean. In fact, scientists in general are so excited about the concept of an icy moon with an underground ocean that they’re even starting to plan how to one day create cryobots that could make it happen.dive“Below the frozen crust, we wait for the crust to heal itself. And just last year, james webb space telescope I managed to find it carbon evidence In Europa’s underground ocean.
In addition, the following possibilities exist: water vapor plume It emanates from the icy surface of Europa. This bit is very important for Europe’s clipper, which could potentially collect samples from the moon’s subsurface without having to land. (Clipper won’t land, but is collecting data for future possibilities european lander mission. )
To achieve that goal, the spacecraft has several tricks up its sleeve (imagine it as you wish) to study this fascinating buried ocean. “The spectrometer collects ultraviolet light to look for plumes and determine how the dynamic atmospheric properties change. time” said a NASA release, adding that it would also include a magnetometer.
“That data will be key to understanding the oceans, because as Europa passes through Jupiter’s powerful ocean waters, the electrical conductivity of the ocean’s salt water creates or induces a magnetic field.” magnetic field“This device works with a magnetometer to analyze the plasma (charged particles) around Europa that can distort the magnetic field,” the release explains.
Radar equipment, on the other hand, will send radio waves to Europa’s surface and watch them reflect off certain features, which may be on the icy ground or even in the ocean. Scientists can measure the time it takes for waves to bounce back and find out how far away those features were. Overall, this should provide a pretty solid picture of what Europa’s frozen skin looks like beneath. The research team says the antenna needed for the device will be installed on the aircraft later this year.
There are also several other tools included in the Europa Clipper that further enhance the synergy. Ultimately, the team says the key to this mission is for everything to work together to ultimately create the best map of the captivating ice world yet.
“The science is better if we can get observations at the same time,” Pappalardo said. “What we’re aiming for is integration, so we can study Europa with all the tools at any time and not have to make trade-offs between them.”
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