I got this because I have just been appointed as a "Solar System Ambassador" for 2002 by JPL. What's curious about this is that they're talking about the same things this group has been discussing for years, but they're doing it like they just thought of it. Anyone have a good contact there to enlighten them about what you have all been talking about? I could, of course, but I don't have the history or the archives. Watch the skies! Gail the Guy Leatherwood ----- Original Message ----- From: "Smith, Ronald H" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "JPL Solar System Ambassador Program" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 6:48 AM Subject: Europa mission beneath the ice
> http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/europa_life_011219-1.html > > HAMPTON, VIRGINIA -- Through thick or thin. That motto lies at the heart of > the search for biology on enigmatic Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons. > > Tantalizing images of the icy-faced > mini-world snapped by the Galileo > spacecraft have heated debate among > space scientists. Could Europa harbor a > global ocean below its frozen topside? If > true, that subsurface ocean may well host > volcanic activity driven by tidal interaction > -- constant pushing and pulling forces > caused by massive Jupiter and the > planet's other moons. Such a warm and > wet environment nurturing life in the > moon's past, or even today, makes for > reasonable speculation. > > Europa already lies in the sights of > engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory > (JPL) in Pasadena, California. They are > working toward flying an orbiter in 2008 to > circle the moon. This craft would carry > radar gear to survey Europa's fractured > blanket of ice, gauging the thickness of > the crust. > > The team hopes to find an icy inroad into > Europa's subsurface. Locating the leanest > spots of frozen terrain might permit future > landers to core through that ice, then > unleash an underwater robot outfitted to > look for life. > > Dig and dive > > Here at the NASA Langley Research > Center, Frederic Stillwagen leads a study > on a lander dedicated to the exobiological > exploration of Europa, dubbed E3 for short. > Stillwagen is a Tracking and Telemetry > Systems Engineer. > > The bottom line of the E3 study, > Stillwagen told SPACE.com, concerns > how best to penetrate and dive below the > craggy face of Europa. The study hopes to > determine if Europa contains the basic > elements found in frozen surface or > sub-surface samples, in order to > constitute evidence for biology outside of > Earth. > > "If we want to see this mission in our > lifetime, we need to invest in the > technologies to make this occur," > Stillwagen said. His study team has > centered on 2030 as a candidate date for > the Europa mission. > > Stillwagen set forth a vision of an all-in-one > E3 spacecraft comprised of a > science/relay orbiter and a > mapper/lander/cryobot/hydrobot. The latter > incorporates two robotic probes including > a cryobot, which moves through ice by > melting it. A hydrobot is a self-propelled > underwater vehicle. > > The orbiter would have a survival period of > two years, swinging around Jupiter in a > "favorable" orbit -- one that minimizes the > vehicle's exposure to the planet's intense > radiation fields. The orbiter deploys a > mapper/lander. which would take a > one-to-two month period to determine the > exact location for a safe touchdown. > > Sweeping down to Europa's surface, the > lander hauls enough fuel to avoid setting > down in cracks, craters, canyons, or other > pitfalls. Once resting upon Europa, the > lander's real business begins. > > Break on through > > To burrow down through Europa's crust, > the lander dispatches the > cryobot/hydrobot. As this device travels > into the moon's depths, the surrounding > ice will shield the equipment from the > ultra-heavy blasts of radiation that soak > the surface. > > Stillwagen said the E3 study group set the > boundary of ice through which the > cryobot/hydrobot vehicle would burrow at > 1.8 miles (3 kilometers). "It'll take a year > to get below the surface," he said, noting > that the ice shell of Europa may extend > even deeper. > > "Europa's surface is so cold. It would take > a long time to go through, even if you were > drilling," Stillwagen observed. The cryobot > would melt its way through the super-cold > surface using nuclear power, he said. > > "All indications are that the ice is > constantly moving and flowing due to gravitational tidal effects caused by > Jupiter. > That means the cryobot has to work independently and can't be attached to > the > lander. Otherwise, the tether would be cut," he said. > > Plowing its way downward, the cryobot releases "communications pucks" -- > small > relays deposited at various depths in the ice. As the ice probe moves ever > deeper, > the pucks work together to transmit science data collected by the robot, > sending > that information to the surface lander. "It's going to be checking for life > all the way, > as it goes through the ice," Stillwagen said. > > The cryobot would possess artificial intelligence to control heating > individual > quadrants of itself, allowing the device to steer around potential > obstacles such as > rocks, boulders, or whatever else may be buried within the icy mantle. > > Breaking through the ice, ostensibly into Europa's liquid subsurface, the > cryobot > releases a mini-submersible. This hydrobot, Stillwagen adds, then begins > its primary > role of underwater snooping. > > Deep dark secrets > > Armed with a spotlight, the tiny robot > submarine, Stillwagen said, would look for > hydrothermal vents. Just as on Earth, > these deep and in-the-dark vents may > serve as habitats for native biology on > Europa. "That would be the best chance to > find forms of life...where it's the warmest," > he said. > > The hydrobot would broadcast images up > to the surface-sitting lander, which would > then relay them to Earth directly or via the > orbiter circling Europa. > > Who knows what may lurk subsurface on > Europa? > > But going the distance and coming up > short on clearly finding -- or not finding -- > that the moon seethes with life would > constitute a setback. > > "If we're going to be there for two years, > we have to conclusively prove prebiotic, or > biotic, or whatever forms of life are on > Europa. If you're going to go through all > this trouble, you've got to make sure that > Europa has, or will have, life of some > form," Stillwagen said. > > Technological hurdles ahead > > The Europa exobiology mission demands > the utmost in hardware miniaturization and > electronics that won't fry in strong > radiation fields. > > For the team trying to make such a > spacecraft a reality, Stillwagen > emphasized, many technological hurdles > lie ahead. In terms of help bringing the > mission to fruition, the study effort > receives support from Langley's > Revolutionary Aerospace Systems > Concepts (RASC) program. > > The work on the E3 idea might apply to > other space targets too. > > "Some of the technologies that we're > picking could benefit a trip to the poles of > Mars. You wouldn't drop off a submersible, > but you could use the same cryobot > scheme to drill through the Martian poles > looking for life," Stillwagen said. > > Imagine that. Robots on the lookout for an > icy reception. > > == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
