As early as Oct. 10, NASA’s Europa Clipper will launch from Kennedy Space Center to begin its long journey to Jupiter, where it will orbit the gas giant while searching for signs of life on one of the planet’s moons, Europa – an ocean world encapsulated in ice.
The spacecraft will reach Jupiter in April of 2030, carrying nine science instruments to understand the nature of the ice shell and the ocean beneath it, as well as Europa’s composition and geology. The mission will also help scientists better understand the potential for life on other worlds.
At least seven Planetary Science Institute researchers will lend their expertise to four instruments onboard Europa Clipper.
Senior Scientist Tom McCord is a co-investigator and founding member of the Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa, or MISE, and the Europa mission. The instrument will detect infrared, which includes wavelengths of light longer than visible light, to map ices, salts, organics and warm spots on Europa that might suggest habitability. MISE will also reveal how material is exchanged between the surface ice and the ocean below.
Senior Scientist Roger Clark is another MISE co-investigator who will use Tetracorder technology to map chemistry on Europa. Tetracorder allows for the rapid analysis of planetary bodies to determine their composition. Before Europa Clipper reaches orbit around Jupiter, Clark will team up with Laboratory Technician Neil Pearson to calibrate Tetracorder with laboratory measurements of minerals and ices to compare to MISE spectra.
Senior Scientists Carly Howett and Oleg Abramov are co-investigators on the Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System, or E-THEMIS, a camera that will map temperature and texture of Europa’s surface. E-THEMIS will seek clues about activity such as icy geysers, and regions where the moon’s suspected ocean may be near the surface. Howett is also a member of the joint Europa Clipper/Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE, Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is aimed at maximizing the return from having the Europa Clipper and JUICE spacecrafts in the Jupiter-system simultaneously.
Senior Scientist Amanda Hendrix is a team member of Europa-UVS team, short for Ultraviolet Spectrograph, which will study Europa’s atmospheric and surface composition, with a special focus on the plumes that may be erupting from the ocean beneath the ice. Measurements using the Europa-UVS are especially sensitive to detecting vapor plumes that could be difficult to spot using other measurement techniques. The instrument will also study interactions between Europa’s thin atmosphere and charged particles. These interactions can make the atmosphere glow in ultraviolet light, like Earth’s northern lights.
Senior Scientist Candice Hansen is a co-investigator on the Europa Imaging System, or EIS. The instrument will use visible-light cameras to generate high-resolution maps of Europa’s surface. EIS will map about 90% of Europa at 330 feet per pixel, which equates to six times more of Europa’s surface at five times better resolution than ever captured before. Then, when the spacecraft makes close flybys of Europa, the instrument will produce images with a resolution 100 times better. EIS’s three-dimensional views will also allow scientists to measure surface heights, and color images will provide information about Europa’s surface materials.
