NASA took a significant step in the search for alien life within our Solar System by launching the Europa Clipper spacecraft on Monday.
The mission's destination is Europa, a moon of Jupiter believed to harbor a vast saltwater ocean beneath its icy crust.
Scientists are intrigued by Europa because its ocean may contain more water than Earth's, making it a prime candidate for supporting life.
Europa Clipper's primary goal is to determine whether this ocean, concealed beneath the moon's frozen surface, could support life.
Standing 16 feet tall and spreading 100 feet wide with its solar arrays deployed, the spacecraft weighs three-and-a-half tons and is the largest interplanetary probe NASA has ever constructed.
It is the first mission focused on exploring an ocean world outside Earth.
Even if no life is found on Europa, this mission is essential for identifying ocean worlds as prime candidates for extraterrestrial life.
Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, described missions like Europa Clipper as "modern cathedrals" and "generational quests."
"We scientists have been dreaming about a mission like Europa Clipper for more than 20 years. We've been working to build it for 10 years," Leshin said in a September briefing. "It's going to be another 10 years, because Jupiter's so far away, until we have all the science in the bag."
Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles to reach Jupiter, gaining a gravitational assist from Mars along the way. The spacecraft is expected to arrive in April 2030.
**A Complex Journey Through Jupiter's Radiation**
Life can exist without sunlight in Earth's oceans, drawing energy from hydrothermal vents. This suggests that Europa’s ocean, if similar, could potentially host life.
The Europa Clipper is equipped with nine scientific instruments designed to study the moon’s environment. It will analyze the ocean's salinity and depth, search for organic molecules, and capture high-resolution images.
"Clipper is not actually going to look for life itself, but it's going to characterize the habitability of Europa," said Gina DiBraccio, acting director of NASA's Planetary Science Division.
The spacecraft is set to orbit Jupiter and conduct 49 flybys of Europa, each targeting different regions of the moon, covering its surface from pole to pole. It will fly as low as 16 miles above Europa's surface.
Navigating Jupiter’s complex system is a significant challenge. Jordan Evans, the mission's project manager, called it a "seven-body problem" due to the gravitational forces of Jupiter and its large moons.
Moreover, during each flyby, Clipper will face extreme radiation from Jupiter, equivalent to "a few million chest X-rays," according to Evans.
In addition to its scientific goals, the mission could reveal whether Europa's ice glows in the dark, as suggested by previous NASA research.
SD/
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