NASA selects scientific tools for Europa mission

Washington: The US space agency has selected nine science instruments for a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The aim is to investigate whether the mysterious icy moon could harbour conditions suitable for life. Europa has tantalised scientists with its enigmatic icy surface and evidence of a vast ocean.

The Europa mission would send a solar-powered spacecraft into a long, looping orbit around the gas giant Jupiter to perform repeated close flybys of Europa over a three-year period. “The payload of selected science instruments includes cameras and spectrometers to produce high-resolution images of Europa’s surface and determine its composition,” NASA said in a statement.

Ice penetrating radar will determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and search for subsurface lakes similar to those beneath Antarctica. The mission also will carry a magnetometer to measure strength and direction of the moon’s magnetic field, which will allow scientists to determine the depth and salinity of its ocean.

With abundant salt water, a rocky sea floor, and the energy and chemistry provided by tidal heating, Europa could be the best place in the solar system to look for present day life beyond our home planet.