Summary: As a follow-on to the recently ended Galileo mission to Jupiter, the next goal seems to be investigating its icy moons--Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. A subsurface ocean and tidal heating may make possible at least two of the three requirements for life, namely water and energy. If a thick ice layer protects the ocean, even the final requirement for a thick atmosphere may be less important to subsurface life. The mission is called the Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter, or JIMO. |
