If NASA really does send a probe to the moon sometime during the 2020s-still a big if, due to the realities of government spending on space-it could fly through these jets and collect samples to search for extraterrestrial life.Įnceladus, Saturn's sixth-largest moon, is also home to a liquid water ocean. Last year, data from the Hubble telescope indicated that in some spots, enormous jets of water are actually shooting out through small holes in Europa's icy surface. The hypothetical combination of volcanic activity and liquid water has prompted some scientists to speculate that Europa could harbor life, perhaps similar to the ecosystems on Earth that crop up around seafloor hydrothermal vents and flourish in the absence of sunlight. If true, this activity could provide enough heat to generate a liquid ocean underneath the ice. Moreover, analysis of Europa's lineae (dark fractures that crisscross the ice's surface) shows that they're gradually moving, perhaps evidence of tectonic activity or volcanic eruptions underneath. Its surface is made of water ice, but is surprisingly smooth-it has a number of cracks, but very few craters-suggesting that the ice is likely of a relatively young age, and is continually reforming over time, erasing the effects of asteroid impacts.Ī close-up of lineae on Europa's surface. Here's our rundown of the best bets:Ī number of missions, including the 1995 flyby of the unmanned probe Galileo, have provided data on Europa that have led scientists to some interesting conclusions. With the Europa announcement, it's worth remembering that there are a number of destinations here in our own solar system that we could visit (with unmanned probes) during our lifetimes and perhaps find life. But these planets are far, far away, so it would likely take thousands of years to reach even the closest ones. In recent years, the remarkable number of planets we've discovered orbiting distant stars ( 1780, at latest count) has shifted the focus of the search for extraterrestrial life to other solar systems. Previous research has shown that the moon is covered with water ice, and may contain a liquid ocean underneath its surface-raising the tantalizing possibility that Europa could harbor life. Last week, NASA announced one of its most exciting missions in recent memory: a plan to visit Europa, one of Jupiter's largest moons.
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