NASA looks to send landers to Europa in 2020, desires to break the ice

There’s still plenty of mystery surrounding Jupiter’s moon Europa, but researchers at NASA seem fairly certain that there is a watery ocean lurking beneath its icy exterior. Their theories may finally be put to the test later this decade, attributable to an idea mission crafted by astronomers on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In step with Space.com, JPL researchers have provide you with a plan that may send a couple of landers to Europa by 2026, within the hopes of sorting out whether the rock has ever supported life forms. The endeavor certainly wouldn’t be easy, since Jupiter blankets its moon in heavy radiation, but researchers think they are able to mitigate these risks by sending in an additional lander as backup, and by keeping the mission short and sweet. Under the plan, each 700-pound robot would use a mass spectrometer, seismometers and a slew of cameras to go looking for any organic chemicals which may be lodged in the moon’s ice. Neither craft will sport a protective shield, so they’ll only stay round the planet for roughly seven days, that allows you to avoid any radiation damage. At this point, the mission remains within the concept phase, though the JPL is hoping to launch both landers by 2020. JPL researcher Kevin Hand was quick to indicate, however, that this will be a “habitability mission,” and that NASA doesn’t anticipate finding any signs of current life on Europa. Lars von Trier was unavailable for comment.