NASA Maps Out Possible Lander Mission to Jupiter Moon Europa

[Calista241]

Source: Space.com

A potential NASA life-hunting mission to the surface of Jupiter's ocean-harboring moon Europa is really starting to take shape.

The stationary Europa lander would use three different instrument suites to search for signs of alien life in samples collected from just beneath the moon's icy surface, according to a new report by the 21-member "Science Definition Team" (SDT) for the possible mission.

...

NASA is already developing a flyby mission to Europa, which is scheduled to launch in the 2020s. This solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and assess the moon's habitability during the course of 45 close encounters with Europa.

In late 2015, Congress ordered NASA to add a surface component to the Europa mission. The agency is currently studying the best ways to make this happen; the new SDT report is part of that process.


Read more: http://www.space.com/35655-nasa-lander-jupiter-moon-europa.html

---

Awesome.

[Renew Deal]

1. What happened to all the amazing science we would receive from Juno?

I feel like the project went completely cold.

[Calista241]

3. Juno has completed several flybys.

But science like that takes months to review. While Juno has a full spectrum camera, the real interesting stuff is coming from other instruments.

New Horizons and Dawn were so interesting because we'd never had live, closeup pictures of Pluto and Ceres before.

Several spacecraft have visited Jupiter, and they've taken thousands of pictures of the planet. Just give it a few months for Juno to start reporting on the crazy powerful magnetic field, and some more detailed analysis of Jupiter's cloud composition and formation.

[n2doc]

5. From Yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/122850639

[Mike Nelson]

2. Yay...

...the "moons" (more like planets) around the gas giants are amazing!

[Baclava]

4. A lander now? Excellent!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS - EXCEPT EUROPA

ATTEMPT NO LANDINGS THERE.

--- 2010, Odyssey Two

[jmowreader]

7. That's the first thing I thought

"Didn't Dave Bowman say not to land there?"

[briv1016]

8. I'd me more focused on the upcoming "Europa Clipper" (quasi-orbiter) mission

and making sure that it was properly designed and funded. Then use the data gathered to inform the possibility of a future lander/drill. And of course don't forget about the upcoming ESA/NASA JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) Mission.

[triron]

9. Europa is exciting in its potential for habitability