Matt Williams posted....
Even though the surface of Europa is bombarded by radiation from
Jupiter, any life inside the icy world will be well protected by
the ice covering its surface. Astronomers recently made a comprehensive map
of the surface of Europa, calculating which parts receive more of
a radiation dose from Jupiter.
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Ever since the Galileo probe provided compelling evidence for the
existence of a global ocean beneath the surface of Europa in the 1990s,
scientists have wondered when we might be able to send another mission
to this icy moon and search for possible signs of life. Most of these
mission concepts call for an orbiter or lander than will study Europa’s
surface, searching the icy sheet for signs of biosignatures turned up
from the interior.
Unfortunately, Europa’s surface is constantly bombarded by radiation,
which could alter or destroy material transported to the surface. Using
data from the Galileo and Voyager 1 spacecraft, a team of scientists
recently produced a map that shows how radiation varies across Europa’s
surface. By following this map, future missions like NASA’s Europa
Clipper will be able to find the spots where biosignatures are most
likely to still exist.
As many missions have revealed by studying Europa’s surface, the moon
experiences periodic exchanges between the interior and the surface. If
there is life in its interior ocean, then biological material could
theoretically be brought to the surface where it could be studied. Since
radiation from Jupiter’s magnetic field would destroy this material,
knowing where it is most intense, how deep it goes, and how it could
affect the interior are all important questions.
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Life on Europa!
- Wade Hampton III
- Posts: 2339
- Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:40 pm
- Location: Pontiac, SC
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