NASA Confirms Europa Clipper Mission To Jupiter’s Icy Moon To Find Life
NASA has confirmed that the Europa Clipper Mission to find life on Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter. The testing of the SLS (Space Launch System) Megarocket is on track for the 2020 launch.
NASA has cleared the mission to proceed to the final design phase and then into the spacecraft construction, then setting.
Thomas Zurbuchen, an associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Washington D.C. said, “We are all excited about the decision that moves the Europa Clipper mission one key step closer to unlocking the mysteries of this ocean world.”
Thomas added in the statement, “We are building upon the scientific insights received from the flagship Galileo and Cassini spacecraft and working to advance our understanding of our cosmic origin, and even life elsewhere.”
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Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter, has a huge ocean of liquid water under its icy shell. Luckily, the water under the icy shell is in contact with the rocky core of Europa, and our scientists believe that a range of chemical reactions could have created alien life.
Astrobiologists consider Europa to be the best host that could have alien life.
The Europa Clipper Jupiter Mission is not going to search for life signs on the icy moon, but, the probe is going to look at the characteristics of the icy shell of the moon through a dozen of flybys and by collecting data.
The mission is also going to look for best touchdown locations for future life-hunting lander missions NASA can carry out.
If everything goes buttery smooth, the Europa Clipper Jupiter Mission is going to launch in either 2023 or 2025.
Congress has asked NASA to launch the Europa Clipper Jupiter Mission via their Space Launch System Megarocket that is still under development.
The first flight for the Space Launch System Megarocket is currently targeted to be tested in 2020.
The Artemis 1, an uncrewed mission to the moon, is aimed to launch next year.
The Artemis 1 is going to send NASA’s Orion Capsule on a journey around our Moon.
The surface of Europa is frozen, it is covered with a layer of ice, but researchers believe that there is an ocean beneath the icy surface.
Due to its icy surface, Europa is the most reflective moon in our solar system.
Europa is around 1,900 miles in diameter, it’s smaller than our moon, but it’s bigger than Pluto.
The Europa Clipper Mission of NASA is going to provide a number of fundamental questions about Europa.