Oceans Under Jupiter's Europa?
Explanation:
Is there life beneath Europa? Today, new
results are being announced
(at about 2 pm EST) about the
possibility of oceans
under
Jupiter's
moon
Europa.
The existence of such oceans increases the likelihood that some
sort of life exists beneath the
fractured ice planes
of
Jupiter's smoothest satellite.
Results from the
February
20th flyby
of the
robot spacecraft Galileo
past
Europa
now clearly indicate that either large bodies of water or slush
exist under a relatively thin
ice sheet covering the moon's surface,
at least in some regions. Areas on the surface are marked by
very few craters, indicating that water flowed there in the time
since most craters formed.
Tomorrow's picture: Europa's Ice Rafts
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
