NASA to Announce 'Surprising' Europa Discovery Monday

[opiate69]

NASA will announce new findings about Jupiter's ocean-harboring moon Europa during a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Monday (Sept. 26).

"Astronomers will present results from a unique Europa observing campaign that resulted in surprising evidence of activity that may be related to the presence of a subsurface ocean on Europa," NASA officials wrote in a media advisory Tuesday (Sept. 20).

The new information comes courtesy of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, agency officials said. You can follow the news conference live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.

http://www.space.com/34131-jupiter-moon-europa-hubble-telescope-announcement.html

[tonyt53]

1. Good stuff!!!!

[Cayenne]

6. better be something more than an amino acid

but I bet that's what it is. yawn.

[Warren DeMontague]

2. K&R

Also Elon Musk is finally supposed to unveil the plans for SpaceX's "Mars Colonial Transporter"


https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/17/spacexs-mars-colonial-transporter-can-go-well-beyond-mars/


Should be an exciting week for Space Exploration.

[opiate69]

3. Nice!

Man, I'm constantly thinking "how lucky was I to be born when I was" with all the advancements in space exploration lately... but then, I think "fuck, my kids are probably the really lucky ones". I'd bet a lifetime's salary that extraterrestrial life will be found in their lifetimes... maybe in mine, but only if I actually have another 40+ years in the tank.

[Warren DeMontague]

4. I think odds are decent we find some form of life in the next couple decades.

I doubt that's what the Europa news is, obviously, (yet- doesn't mean it's not down there) but like Jerry Garcia NASA does enjoy a good tease...

[opiate69]

5. lol. That, they do.

Well, they certainly got my interest piqued. I can't really imagine what they may have figured out that could be "surprising", but I'll definitley be keeping an eye on my phone next Monday lol.

[sakabatou]

7. Now if only we could drop a probe deep into Europa

[Mika]

8. Yeah.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41T-OHcpLML._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Here's something cool to think about, re: that. We may not need to.

At least, not to get some real data on if there is life down there and what it's all about.



That reddish stuff on the surface? Job one should be to sample that.

https://www.caltech.edu/news/window-europas-ocean-lies-right-surface-38813

based on some of the first data of its kind since NASA's Galileo mission (1989–2003) to study Jupiter and its moons, suggests that there is a chemical exchange between the ocean and surface, making the ocean a richer chemical environment, and implies that learning more about the ocean could be as simple as analyzing the moon's surface.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. I was blown away to find out that there's more water on Europa than there is on Earth.

Like, estimated at twice as much or more.

http://brilliantmaps.com/water-europa-vs-earth/

[opiate69]

13. I know, that just seems to defy logic....

Europa is so much smaller than the Earth...but then, compared to the size of the Earth, our oceans are actually remarkably shallow.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Thanks for this great surprise! It's a reason to look forward to Monday. n/t

[SCantiGOP]

12. Arthur C Clarke was right !!

2001 Space Odyssey and the 2010 sequel.

[Javaman]

14. "All these worlds are yours, except Europa." nt

[NeoGreen]

15. Kick (nt)

[opiate69]

16. "Possible water plumes", apparently.

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-hubble-spots-possible-water-plumes-erupting-on-jupiters-moon-europa

If confirmed, Europa would be the second moon in the solar system known to have water vapor plumes. In 2005, NASA's Cassini orbiter detected jets of water vapor and dust spewing off the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Scientists may use the infrared vision of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch in 2018, to confirm venting or plume activity on Europa. NASA also is formulating a mission to Europa with a payload that could confirm the presence of plumes and study them from close range during multiple flybys.

“Hubble’s unique capabilities enabled it to capture these plumes, once again demonstrating Hubble’s ability to make observations it was never designed to make,” said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This observation opens up a world of possibilities, and we look forward to future missions -- such as the James Webb Space Telescope -- to follow up on this exciting discovery.”