NASA news: The Europa Clipper will hunt for evidence of life on Jupiter's Europa

Europa is sixth closest of the 79 moons orbiting the incredible gas giant Jupiter but it is also the most exciting one. The moon, sometimes known Jupiter II, is a hopeful candidate for alien life thanks to a vast an unexplored ocean world beneath its icy surface. According to NASA, Europa only measures one-fourth the diameter of Earth but is estimated to hold twice as much water as all of the Earth’s oceans combined. With a bit of luck, these subterranean waters could be home to extraterrestrial microbes and NASA’s Europa Clipper plans to hunt them down.


The Europa Clipper is an interplanetary orbiter, currently under construction, which could launch towards Jupiter as early as 2023. Dubbed after a 19th century class of sailing ships, the Clipper space probe will enter orbit around the icy moon for close flybys. The Clipper’s primary mission is to perform 40 to 45 flybys, involving surface investigations and high-resolution imaging of the Moon. Robert Pappalardo, a Europa Clipper project scientist at NASA, said: “During each orbit, the spacecraft spends only a short time within the challenging radiation environment near Europa. READ MORE: NASA confirms METHANE in Martian atmosphere but could it be proof of life?

“It speeds past, gathers a huge amount of science data, then sails on out there.”


The ultimate end goal of the ambitious mission is for NASA to determine whether Europa’s salty ocean world is habitable. The Clipper will need to discover whether Europa’s liquid water, chemical ingredients and internal energy sources are enough to trigger the spark of life. NASA said: “Life as we know it seems to have three main requirements: liquid water, the appropriate chemical elements, and an energy source. READ MORE: Do NASA archive photos show an 'alien city' on the Moon? 'It's breathtaking'

“Europa seems to have abundant water and the right chemical elements, but an energy source on Europa has been difficult to confirm. “On Earth, life forms have been found thriving near subterranean volcanoes, deep-sea vents and other extreme environments. “These ‘extremophile’ life forms give scientists clues about how life may be able to survive beneath Europa’s ice shell.” The most likely form of life, which could develop on Europa, is basic microbial biology. READ MORE: THIS is how NASA thinks humans will live in 3D-printed habitats on Mars

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