The mission to find extraterrestrial life has begun. At 16:06 GMT, NASA launched the Europa Clipper ship from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to search for signs of life on one of Jupiter's frozen moons.
The spacecraft has embarked on a 1.8 billion-mile journey toward Europa, a moon that scientists believe could mark humanity's first recorded encounter with alien lifeforms in outer space.
Highlights
- NASA launched Europa Clipper to search for life on Jupiter's moon.
- Europa may have an ocean with twice Earth's water volume, supporting life.
- Mission seeks data on Europa's ocean, surface, and possible water plumes.
- The spacecraft is set to arrive at Europa in 2030 after a 6-year journey.
The groundbreaking mission will see the vessel travel for six consecutive years until it arrives at its destination in 2030, with discoveries that could reshape our understanding of life in the solar system.
"Discovering life on other celestial bodies would be monumental, as it could strongly suggest that life isn't as rare as it currently appears to be in the Universe," Simón Ángel, PhD in astrophysics and Director of the Manuel Foster Observatory, explained to Bored Panda.
NASA has officially launched a ship designed to search for extraterrestrial life on Jupiter's moon, Europa
Image credits: Mario Tama/Getty
The key to Europa's significance lies in its icy crust, which may contain a vast ocean with twice the amount of water found on Earth. This water may contain essential chemicals that support a variety of life forms.
Due to its thick icy surface—25 kilometers deep—Europa is expected to shine five times brighter than Earth's moon thanks to its reflective ice.
Scientists believe that finding life on another planet or moon would allow them to extrapolate the phenomenon to other galaxies beyond our own.
"So far, we only know of one planet with life," Ángel added.
"The discovery would also help reinforce the idea that water is essential for the emergence and sustenance of life as we know it."
Image credits: NASA
"Europa has the suitable conditions below its icy surface to support life. Its conditions are water, energy, chemistry, and stability," said Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
"To do this, we will collect data from nine instruments and one science experiment. Science includes gathering measurements of the internal ocean, mapping the surface composition and geology, and hunting for plumes of water vapor that may be venting from the icy crust."
The project has been in the works since the late 90s and has now become a reality with the launch of the Europa Clipper
Image credits: NASA
NASA has been discussing the journey to the icy moon since the Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter in 1995 and finished its mission in 1997.
The National Research Council recommended a mission to Europa in 2013, with an estimated cost of $2 billion at the time, which more than doubled over the years to $5.2 billion at the time of its launch.
When fully fueled, the spacecraft weighs more than 12,500 lbs (5,700 kg) and is powered by 28 thrusters.
The Europa Clipper will fly around Europa an estimated 50 times, each time receiving a massive amount of radiation that could prove disastrous for the mission
Image credits: NASA
The Europa Clipper is equipped with a laser, codenamed "Reason," designed in part by Britney Schmidt, a professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell University, to detect the presence of lifeforms.
If everything goes according to plan, the laser will look through the ice into the moon's magma chambers and tectonic plates to provide a complete map of the area. The presence of intense radiation, however, could ruin the team's efforts.
To safeguard the ship against this phenomenon, the NASA team built a radiation-proof vault that's "heavily shielded" to protect the vessel's essential electronics.
For Simón Ángel, the aforementioned 50 flybys of Europa are not an exaggerated measure, but a necessity.
"Protecting a spacecraft from this radiation is challenging and costly. That's why the mission is designed with an orbit that doesn't remain fixed around Europa but instead orbits Jupiter," he clarified.
"This strategy allows for a balance between clear observations and minimizes the radiation exposure."
The Europa Clipper will use the "slingshot method" to gather enough gravity for its 6-year-long voyage to Jupiter
Image credits: NASA
Since a fuel motor alone will not be enough to carry the ship through the 1.8 billion miles that separate Earth from Europa, the vessel will first build momentum using the gravitational pull of Earth and Mars.
Officially known as a "gravitational slingshot," this method involves getting close to an astronomical object's orbit and using its gravity to accelerate, redirect, or reduce a ship's speed.
"Sending an object into deep space means overcoming both Earth's gravity and then the Sun's, which requires a lot of energy and fuel," Ángel added.
"This creates a paradox: you need to carry more fuel to generate the energy required to move the extra fuel you need to carry even more fuel."
The assist maneuver is a proven method that has been widely used since its adoption in 1959, when the Soviet probe Luna 3 used it to capture images of the far side of Earth's moon.
Scientists and astrophysicists like Simón Ángel remain eager to see what the Europa Clipper finds, as they believe the moon's oceans have key similarities to Earth's seas.
"There could be conditions on the ocean floor similar to the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of Earth's oceans, where some of the earliest life forms on this planet may have originate," Ángel explained.