Europa
The Europa Clipper is Coming Together, Launching in 2024
Who is excited to send a spacecraft to Europa? Every person I’ve talked to who is even remotely interested in…
If There are Water Plumes on Europa, Here’s how Europa Clipper Will Study Them
NASA’s Europa Clipper is one of the most anticipated missions of the coming decade, in large part because its target,…
Europa has Water in its Atmosphere
New research indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has water vapor in its trailing atmosphere, which could inform missions headed there…
Why Visit Just one Moon When you Could Explore Them all?
The Solar System's moons are intriguing objects for exploration. Especially moons like Europa and Enceladus. Their subsurface oceans make them…
Greenland’s Ice Sheet is Similar in Many Ways to the Solar System’s Icy Worlds and Can Teach Us How to Search for Life
Many regions on Earth are temperate, nutrient-rich, stable environments where life seems to thrive effortlessly. But not all of Earth.…
Micrometeorites Churn up the Surface of Europa. If you Want to Find Life, You’ll Need to dig Down a Meter or So
According to new research, impact craters caused by micrometeorites are the best place to look for evidence that life exists…
There Might be Volcanoes at the Bottom of Europa’s sub-ice Oceans
In about three years, NASA plans to launch a robotic orbiter that will study Jupiter's mysterious moon Europa. It's called…
A Robot Made of Ice Could Adapt and Repair Itself on Other Worlds
Some of the most tantalizing targets in space exploration are frozen ice worlds. Take Jupiter's moon Europa for instance. Its…
Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” XIII: What is the “Ocean Worlds” Hypothesis?
Could it be that we haven't heard from any aliens because theyre mainly space whales living live inside icy bodies…
Geysers on Europa might come from pockets of water under the ice
Observations have already confirmed the existence of a sub-surface ocean on Europa, and there has been rampant speculation about whether…