hsedin33 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 http://www.sciencealert.com/yes-nasa-is-planning-a-mission-to-europa-a-prime-candidate-for-lifeThere are videos at the link.Yes! NASA is planning a mission to Europa, one of the best candidates for alien life The US space agency has just announced that it's allocating funds to a mission to explore Jupiter's water-laden moon, Europa. FIONA MACDONALD 2 FEB 2015 15.k118 During a live stream earlier today, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden outlined the space agency’s healthy US$18.5 billion budget for the 2016 financial year - half a billion dollars more than expected. But what was really exciting about the announcement was that Bolden also explained that US$100 million of that would go towards planning for a mission to Europa - Jupiter’s fourth largest moon. The long-awaited news was met with plenty of applause on Twitter, and for good reason - Europa is one of the Solar System’s prime candidates for harbouring extraterrestrial life. And yet, up until now, we've paid relatively little attention to the moon. As one of Jupiter's 63 known satellites, Europa is only a little bit smaller than our own Moon, with a diameter of 3,120 km. But what makes it really compelling to astrobiologists is that, beneath its icy surface lies a huge, liquid ocean, completely covering its rocky core. As astronomer Phil Plait explained over at his Bad Astronomy blog on Slate in November last year, this water is estimated to be salty, and also around 100 km thick - up to 10 times deeper than Earth’s oceans. In fact, telescope observations and data on the moon, gathered by passing spacecraft, suggest that Europa may hold two to three times more liquid water than Earth. And where there’s liquid water, there’s often life, which makes it a very tantalising place to explore. The video below, produced by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory last year explains brilliantly just why the moon is such an exciting prospect. As the narrator, astrobiologist Kevin Hand, explains, usually Europa's distance from the Sun would mean that all its liquid would be frozen. But because Europa is orbitting Jupiter, it has a strong tidal tug, and all of that energy is converted into mechanical energy. That mechanical energy becomes friction and then heat, which allows the H2O on the moon to stay liquid - not just at the moment, but for much of the history of the Solar System, researchers estimate. This tidal energy, excitingly, may also cause Europa's ocean to interact with the rocks on the sea floor, astrobiologists predict, and may have triggered hydrothermal vents, which could not just provide the building blocks for life, but also the energy for life. But until recently, we haven't had the proven robotic technology needed to explore beneath the moon's icy cap. Now, it seems, the time is finally right. Of course, there's no word yet on exactly what NASA's mission will entail, and with only US$100 million allocated to the project, it seems as though the 2016 fiscal year won't involve much more than planning. But it's still hugely exciting news. As Plait explained back in November (with freakish foresight): "I will not be surprised in the least if, for the next fiscal year budget, NASA asks for a Europa mission, including something as dramatic and unprecedented and as some hardware that can penetrate the ice and take a peek into Europa’s dark, briny depths ... This is something I think NASA should be doing: Pushing the frontier, doing what only a national space agency can do. This would be a huge undertaking, and one that would fire up the public imagination like nothing before it since Apollo." You can see the full breakdown of NASA's budget here and hear more about their plans in the video below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dral Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 And where there’s liquid water, there’s often life, which makes it a very tantalising place to explore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Give them more money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazmanian Devil Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 europe isn't in space so why do we need NASA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Sparkle Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 imagine alien sharks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BananaMash Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 imagine alien sharks! Can alien sharks dance properly during a Superbowl halftime show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Sparkle Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Can alien sharks dance properly during a Superbowl halftime show? they most likely invented it. goes to show how far behind we are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 It's kind of amazing to think that even before man went to the moon, Arthur C Clarke knew that there was something special about Europa. I'm halfway surprised that one of the sequels didn't warn them away from Enceladus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 BTW: Has anyone seen the movie Europa Report? Not an Oscar winner by any stretch, but not bad, either. The guy who played Wikus in District 9 stars in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberz21 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 imagine alien sharks! What, you think Sharknado was only a movie? No those were real footage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanGnome Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 BTW: Has anyone seen the movie Europa Report? Not an Oscar winner by any stretch, but not bad, either. The guy who played Wikus in District 9 stars in it. I thought it was an interesting perspective, if a bit predictable as far as a plot is concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 In before 2010 reference. Oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I wonder if the common knowledge that life requires water has ever been challenged? We've spent all this time looking for earth-like planets, but just because life on earth has adapted and evolved to earth's conditions, doesn't mean organisms couldn't exist under conditions that may seem hostile to us elsewhere in the universe. Of course, space agencies have to target the most likely suspects for life since the universe is so big. Researchers obviously know a lot more about this than me, so I could be completely off base here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I wonder if the common knowledge that life requires water has ever been challenged? We've spent all this time looking for earth-like planets, but just because life on earth has adapted and evolved to earth's conditions, doesn't mean organisms couldn't exist under conditions that may seem hostile to us elsewhere in the universe. Of course, space agencies have to target the most likely suspects for life since the universe is so big. Researchers obviously know a lot more about this than me, so I could be completely off base here. Yes it has. There's lots of hypotheses about silica based life or life similar to what we find on earth near deep sea volcanic vents that don't even conform to what we consider "normal" earth life forms etc, But as you pointed out, the most common life here on earth requires water and hence it's theoretically most likely we'll find life in similar conditions elsewhere in the universe. It's simply playing the percentages, not a close minded/rigid thinking thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter's Vengeance Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Give them more money! Right? This is a mission that should've been done a LONG time ago. We could learn so much, not just about our galaxy or the Sol system, but imagine if there is life on that moon? My god the conversations and debates we could have! I just have one concern. Why did it take so darn long for us to get this to happen? I mean, we had the technology to do this years ago. We could've discovered this a while back or at least been quite a ways into finding them. All in all, Im excited for the future. Good on Obama and the US for doing this. They have the some of the most intelligent individuals on the planet but they're far too focused on their trillions they spend on war. As much as I have a dislike for the US on this regard and some of their decisions they've made, people should be excited. This is a nice first step into a scientific future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I thought one of the main problems with life on Europa, as we understand it, was the lack of sufficient carbon on the moon. I'm pretty sure that Galileo picked up signs of CO2 but in small amounts and in stark contrast to the high levels of sulphur. Either way…. I'm for it. Send 'er up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kakanucks Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 alien mermaids!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 alien mermaids!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 alien mermaids!!! Great band name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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