First pictures of scissors

the space ship space Europe Shears or clippers from NASA He is preparing to leave for one of Jupiter's moons with the aim of searching for new moons Extraterrestrial life forms. The planetary probe was unveiled in California, and is scheduled to leave by October towards the largest planet in the solar system, to one of the satellites of the gas giant, where Discovering carbon footprints In the liquid oceans beneath the frozen crust, there is hope for a discovery that could revolutionize thinking about the path to space.

NASA unveils the Europa Clipper spacecraft

The interplanetary spacecraft that NASA wants to send to Europa is called the Europa Clipper. $5 billion investigation the government agency plans to send In orbit by October Which in the coming years could bring important information about Jupiter's satellite to Earth.

Is there life in space? This is the question that the probe currently at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, housed in a “clean room,” will try to answer. In fact, in an enclosed area accessible only to people wearing full head-to-toe coverage, the Europe Clipper will only be contacted by workers to ensure that the spacecraft remains free of contaminants, to avoid transferring terrestrial microorganisms to Europa. .

It should be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and begin a journey of at least 5 years, with a close flyby of Mars also to increase speed. In 2031, it is supposed to be in orbit around Jupiter and Europe, where it will start Detailed study of the moon Which scientists believe is covered by frozen water.

Why is the mission to Europe important?

However, on its journey, Europa Clipper will bring back to Earth not the certainty of life on Jupiter's moon, but the possibility of life. In fact, the goal of those responsible for the mission is to study the surface of Europa to try to understand whether it might exist Conditions necessary for the continuation of life In those circumstances.

The mission, which began planning in the late 1990s, is expected to end around 2034, by which time Clipper will likely have reached the end of its useful life.

The probe's final stop could be Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, where the science mission will be completed once it is complete. Clipper will collide with Earth in the Jovian system.

Where is Jupiter's moon Europa located?

Europa is the fourth largest natural satellite of Jupiter and the sixth largest in the entire solar system. It is slightly smaller than our Moon, and is composed mainly of silicates with a crust made of frozen water.

It is located outside 670 thousand kilometers from Jupiterup to 780 million kilometers from the sun and It is 628 million kilometers away from Earth. However, the distance to be traveled is in favor of science, as those frozen waters indicate their presence Oceans Underneath the crust they may be Home to extraterrestrial life.

A hypothesis that fascinates scientists who have already built projects around Jupiter's satellite. They are imagining with their minds, because until Clipper provides the required information, everything is pure fantasy. But life outside Earth is becoming more and more possible.