Gibbous Europa
This is a photograph of one of Jupiter's moons, Europa. It is in its gibbous phase. Galileo, the robot spacecraft, took this picture during its 1995-2003 mission orbiting Jupiter. You can clearly see the many features of the moon including its bright ice, dark patches, and long cracks that run down to the horizon. Europa is smoother than our moon, but it is about the same size. The Galileo spacecraft gives evidence that there might actually be liquid oceans flowing beneath the icy surface! NASA and ESA have planned the Jupiter System Mission in hopes of finding life in the oceans. It will launch in 2020 and it will explore Jupiter, but Europa in particular. Because the surface of Europa is thin, they hope to be able to drop hydrobots that will break the surface and search for life in the ocean!!
No comments:
Post a Comment