Can an icy moon 1.8 billion miles away support life?
NASA's Europa Clipper is preparing for a massive journey to Jupiter. This presentation explores the spacecraft's assembly and the mission's critical goal: investigating whether a hidden ocean beneath Europa's icy crust could be habitable.
The mission involves a 1.8-billion-mile voyage to Jupiter's moon, Europa, scheduled to begin in October 2024. Led by mission system manager Al Cangahula and scientist Kate Craft, the project focuses on the astrobiological potential of ocean worlds.
The spacecraft's exploration is designed to study the moon's icy crust and the liquid ocean thought to exist beneath it. By examining these environments, scientists aim to understand if such worlds possess the necessary conditions to support life beyond Earth.
Source: Exploring Ocean Worlds: Europa Clipper Is One Year From Launch (Live Public Talk)
