The space agency has announced a selection of sensors which it will send on a mission to find life on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
Selecting the right tools for the job is the first step in a mission that will evaluate whether the moon has conditions suitable for life. NASA has selected nine different gadgets that will investigate whether there exists an ocean beneath Europa’s glacial surface, according to AFP.
Subterranean ocean thought to exist on Europa
Scientists have long suspected that such an ocean exists, and NASA has decided that a selection of equipment such as cameras, radars and magnetic field gauges will be used in the investigation. Europa is roughly the same size as the Earth’s moon, but scientists believe it may contain approximately twice as much water as Earth itself.
The mission is planned for some time in the next decade, when scientists hope to gain a better understanding of Europa. “We’re excited about the potential of this new mission and these instruments to unravel the mysteries of Europa in our quest to find evidence of life beyond Earth,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
The mission will be searching for four key indicators that Europa could provide a suitable environment for life: salt water, a rocky sea floor, and energy and chemistry created by tidal heating.
Scientists are excited by the mission, and have high hopes for Jupiter’s moon. “Europa could be the best place in the solar system to look for present day life beyond our home planet,” NASA said.
Mission moving closer to becoming reality
NASA has already made a request for the mission in its 2016 budget, and it could cost up to $30 million. After launch, a spacecraft would be sent to orbit Europa, coming within 16 miles of its surface.
From here the myriad instruments on board would start to do their work. The inventory will include cameras and spectrometers to take photos of the moon, as well as a magnetometer to measure the strength and direction of the moon’s magnetic field. At the same time, penetrating radars will be looking for subsurface lakes.
The mission will also be on the lookout for evidence of recent eruptions of warm water and tiny particles, which would allow scientists to study the chemical composition of Europa, and thus determine whether or not it could support life. The Hubble Space Telescope previously spotted these geyser-like plumes, and if their existence is confirmed Europa will become a prime candidate for harboring life.
Suite of instruments expected to beam back exciting data
NASA scientist Curt Niebur is excited by the recent progress towards making the mission become a reality. “This is a giant step in our search for oases that could support life in our own celestial backyard,” he said. “We’re confident that this versatile set of science instruments will produce exciting discoveries on a much-anticipated mission.”
The set of nine instruments were drawn from a pool of 33 devices proposed by NASA researchers last year. The spacecraft is yet to be named, but the solar-powered vehicle will perform 45 flybys of Europa over the course of three years.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Europa is one of its four biggest moons, along with Ganymede, Io and Callisto.
