NASA reveals how spacecraft will land on tantalizing ocean world
NASA is 关键字2headed to Jupiter's fascinating moon Europa this year. Scientists suspect a deep ocean sloshes beneath the icy world's crust.
The looming mission, called Europa Clipper, will launch in October, sending a spacecraft the length of a basketball court to make around 50 flybys by the distant Jovian moon, assessing whether it could harbor conditions suitable for life. It won't, however, land on the ice crust.
Yet the space agency is already preparing an ambitious follow-up mission, aptly named Europa Lander, that will touch down on the moon's surface and dig or drill into the ice. "In this mission concept, a spacecraft would land on Europa and collect and study samples from about 4 inches (10 centimeters) beneath the surface, looking for signs of life," NASA explains.
You May Also Like
SEE ALSO: NASA will land daring spacecraft on a world 800 million miles away
The agency recently released images of the mission's unique landing gear, whose legs can absorb a heavy spacecraft's landing. Taken together, the lander's metal appendages make the craft look spider-like. Engineers are preparing to test these legs on a platform that will mimic a landing on Europa.
Below, you can see NASA staff working on this critical landing gear at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory — the same lab that designed and built missions like the Jupiter-orbiting Juno probe, the legendary Voyager spacecraft, and the Mars Perseverance rover.
Related Stories
- NASA spacecraft keeps on going faster and faster and faster
- NASA finally opened its prized asteroid canister, and you can look inside
- The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
- On thrilling ocean world, NASA spots a vital element for life
- If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know
An engineer testing the Europa Lander's landing gear. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech 
The Europa Lander testbed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech 
NASA engineers working on the craft's landing system. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech The craft will need a robust landing system. It will carry instruments that will dig some four inches into Europa's ice. "This is a depth at which the complex chemistry of materials from the ocean below would be protected from the damaging radiation that exists in space around Jupiter," NASA explained. It will also have a "miniature laboratory" aboard, which will look for signs of life, among other instruments.
For now, the Europa Lander technically remains just a "proposal." But engineers are preparing for its reality. First, though, the Europa Clipper will scour the intriguing Europan surface. After traveling hundreds of millions of miles away, the orbiting probe will arrive at the icy destination in 2030.
- ·好段好句素材：有关夏天清晨的优美段落
- ·给马匹恢复精神中国马术队办法多：喂美食+频繁互动
- ·野蛮人IP进化史：从像素风到如今的蜕变
- ·琼州海峡航线于6月12日11时起全线停运
- ·地下城堡4骑士与破碎编年史墓穴90层零氪打法
- ·海航债务压身打员工主意 向员工筹资获短期资金
- ·卡普空称《生化危机9》将实现画质革命 榨干主机性能
- ·节约内存:清除任务栏“自定义通知”里的图标
- ·阴阳师八周年福利是什么 八周年福利汇总介绍
- ·精选大乐透专家：发哥连中90万和4+1累擒5847万
- ·迷城陆区大猩猩介绍及解锁方法分享
- ·7 Unusual Dining Spots in Colorado
- ·适合晚上一个人看的书 2025经典好书推荐
- ·亚历山大35分哈利伯顿18+7 雷霆险胜步行者总分2
- ·Don't Buy a GPU Now: Wait for Next
- ·琼州海峡航线于6月12日11时起全线停运