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Writer's pictureTriple Helix
Nov 213 min read

Is Anyone Home, Europa?

Image Citation: [1]


Written By Morgan Rafferty ‘28

Edited By Allison Shea ‘28


The possibility of aliens became a lot more real once scientists discovered that one of Jupiter’s 95 moons, Europa, could potentially be hospitable to life. That is why, on October 14th, 2024, NASA launched the Europa Clipper out of the Kennedy Space Center, which will be able to confirm or deny the presence of favorable conditions for life by the year 2030.

 

The Europa Clipper mission is the first mission of its kind, designed to test theories on what the conditions on Europa are like. Europa, located over 390 million miles from Earth, is probably one of the most fascinating moons within our solar system. From far away, the moon appears silvery blue covered in dark brown scars. After further analysis, however, it has become clear that the blue is a thick sheet of ice, and the scar-like features are cracks and ridges in the ice’s surface. The presence of these ridges is what has led researchers to believe that a deep ocean of water must be hiding below the surface. This is because the marks closely resemble a ridgeline located in Greenland, which has formed due to the repeated freezing and cracking of pools of water near the surface of the ice. After a long period, ice accumulates into thickened fractures, which can build long ridge lines (2). The reddish-brown hue of these ridges is likely caused by the salts from within the water that get sprayed out when the surface cracks (3). The presence of salt is also an important factor, because salt allows water to exist as a liquid at a wider range of temperature, and liquid water is one of the factors necessary for life.

 

While the possibility of a salty ocean is the most exciting prospect, other factors of Europa’s climate make it suitable for life. The oceans likely contain deep-sea vents, which interact with water to create energy that fuels many life forms. Additionally, Europa receives a large amount of radiation from Jupiter, which can break down water molecules in the icy crust into hydrogen and oxygen, two more vital components for sustaining life (3). If the clipper can confirm the presence of these characteristics, then it's likely that NASA, and other aeronautical organizations, will continue to dig even deeper into the mysteries of Europa’s ocean.

 

Seeing as the last NASA mission to Europa was with Galileo in 1997, scientists had time to generate a lot of questions about the moon. To help answer them, the Europa Clipper is equipped with 9 scientific instruments that will collect data over 49 separate fly-bys. The two cameras onboard, the Europa Imaging System (EIS) and Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS) will help map the surface, allowing researchers to see new features they may have missed with previous imaging. The set of spectrometers on board will help collect data on the moon’s chemical characteristics through spectroscopy – the use of light to detect composition – while a more direct chemical analysis will be run by another set of instruments which will collect samples and process them internally. In order to gather data on the physical characteristics of the moon, the clipper is outfitted with radar and magnetic sounding devices, which will detect the thickness of the ice and the depth of the ocean below. (4). The diversity and complexity of these instruments ensures that researchers can get the confirmation to forge ahead with the bigger question, is there life on Europa?

 

While the mission is still six years from completion, the thrill of confirming so many predictions is exciting. The potential for further research, should these predictions be confirmed, means that concrete study into extraterrestrial life can begin within our lifetime, allowing science fiction to become science fact.

 

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