Europa, one of the many moons of Jupiter, merits serious review by individuals who believe nations of the world should be spacefaring in the 21st Century and if you subscribe to the NASA mantra "to follow the water" -as on the planet Mars. Water and the thickness of the Europa ice is the key to determine if it is a dynamic water world to be explored.
Unmasking Europa: The Search for Life on Jupiter's Ocean Moon (2009), by Richard Greenberg, provides insight to the moon Europa and the debate about the thickness of the ice crust that covers the global surface. Therein is a significant part of the answer of whether or not it is a new life habitable zone within the solar system. Greenberg was recently interviewed on The Space Show.
Beyond the Moon and Mars, Europa is in the sights of human space exploration in the 21st Century. The planned unmanned joint NASA-ESA Europa Jupiter System Mission is now being designed to analyze and monitor the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa and begin to settle the debate of thick or thin ice that is detailed in the content of Greenberg's book.
Hopefully, many of the questions raised will be fully vetted in 2026/2027 as a new mission is designed to characterize water oceans beneath the ice shell. Meanhile, the Russians have discussed a Europa lander in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment