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NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission Gets Launch Date

March 2, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Paul Rincon February 11, 2021 (bbc.com)

• NASA has conformed that in October 2024, it will send the Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa (pictured above), scheduled to arrive there in April 2030. Europa holds an ocean under its frozen outer shell and is regarded as one of the most promising targets in the search for life elsewhere in our solar system.

• During a virtual meeting of NASA’s ‘Outer Planets Assessment Group’ organized by Arizona State University, project scientist Dr. Robert Pappalardo stated: “Europa’s about the size of Earth’s moon, yet we think it contains twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans.”

• The spacecraft was to have launched on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. But that has now changed to the use of a commercial launch vehicle.

• Interest in Europa as a potential habitat for extra-terrestrial life was given a boost in the 1990s, when NASA’s Galileo spacecraft provided evidence that Europa harbored an ocean of liquid water beneath its outer shell. Europa probably has a rocky core surrounded by around 50 miles of liquid water covered by a shell of water-ice that’s roughly 12 miles thick.

• “At the bottom of the Earth’s oceans are places where water and rock interact, where water seeps down, contacts hot rock and emerges charged with chemical nutrients – reductants,” said Dr. Pappalardo. When these reductants get together with other chemicals called oxidants, they react. These reactions could, “potentially power life at the ocean floor of Europa – even where there is no light to allow for photosynthesis”.

• The Europa Clipper spacecraft will get close enough to analyze chemicals in the frozen water that has welled up to the surface from beneath the ice shell and sample the water plumes spurting out into space from the Jovian moon.

A mission to study a moon of Jupiter that could be home to extra-terrestrial life has been given a launch date.

Nasa is sending a spacecraft to the icy world of Europa, which holds an ocean under its frozen outer shell.

Scientists have long regarded the moon as one of the most promising targets in the search for life elsewhere in our Solar System.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft will now launch to the jovian moon in October 2024, arriving in April 2030.

The spacecraft was to have launched on Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. But the space agency is reported to no longer be considering that launch vehicle.

It will instead lift off on a commercial rocket.

The details were disclosed by the mission’s project scientist, Dr Robert Pappalardo, during a virtual meeting of Nasa’s Outer Planets Assessment Group (Opag).

“We now have clarity on the launch vehicle path and launch date,” Dr Pappalardo, who is based at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told the meeting.

Interest in the moon as a potential habitat for extra-terrestrial life was given a boost in the 1990s, when Nasa’s Galileo spacecraft provided evidence that Europa harboured an ocean of liquid water beneath its outer shell.

Europa probably has a rocky core surrounded by around 80km (50 miles) of liquid water covered by a shell of water-ice that’s roughly 20km (12 miles) thick.

“Europa’s about the size of Earth’s moon, yet we think it contains twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans,” Dr Pappalardo said during a virtual talk organised by Arizona State University (ASU) last week.

Discussing the moon’s potential for life, he said: “At the bottom of the Earth’s oceans are places where water and rock interact, where water seeps down, contacts hot rock and emerges charged with chemical nutrients – reductants.”

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Strange Radio Signal Discovered Coming From Jupiter’s Moon

January 21, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Chris Ciaccia January 12, 2021 (foxnews.com)

• In 2018, NASA researchers monitoring the Galileo Probe spacecraft observed extraordinary electromagnetic waves, or “chorus waves,” on Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede. NASA recently published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters that NASA’s Jupiter space probe ‘Juno’ (pictured above) detected a “decametric radio emission” as it traveled over Jupiter’s polar region at a speed of 111,847 mph. The radio emission lasted for only five seconds, but it was enough time to confirm the source.

• “It’s not ET,” says NASA’s Patrick Wiggins. “It’s more of a natural function.” Electrons spiraling in Jupiter’s magnetic field are thought to be the cause of the radio noise. Scientists have known about radio waves on Jupiter since the mid-1950s, but this is the first time the phenomenon has ever been seen emanating from Ganymede.

• The Juno spacecraft launched in 2011and was scheduled to stop functioning in July 2021. But NASA recently extended the duration of the Juno mission around Jupiter to September 2025, if it survives that long. During its mission, Juno has made a number of discoveries and captured remarkable images of the planet and its moons. Juno will continue to observe the gas giant and its rings, and is planned to make close flybys of moons Ganymede, Europa and Io.

• Ganymede, the largest of Jupiter’s moons, has long fascinated astronomers. In 2015, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope spotted evidence that Ganymede has an underground ocean. Jupiter’s moon Europa is the sixth-largest moon in the solar system and home to an ocean that “could be habitable,” say researchers.

NASA recently extended the life of two of its planetary discovery missions, including the Juno mission to Jupiter. Now it’s come to light Juno has discovered an FM signal emanating from one of the gas giant’s moons, Ganymede.

The discovery is not an indication of extraterrestrial life, but it is fascinating nonetheless, given it’s the first time it’s been discovered coming from the celestial satellite.
“It’s not E.T.,” Patrick Wiggins, one of NASA’s ambassadors to Utah, said in comments obtained by Fox 8 Cleveland. “It’s more of a natural function.”

The spacecraft, which launched in 2011, happened to be traveling across Jupiter’s polar region at a speed of 111,847 mph when it crossed the radio source, known as a “decametric radio emission,” or simply Wi-Fi. It saw the radio emission for only five seconds, but it was enough time to confirm the source.

According to NASA, the decametric radio waves have frequencies between 10 and 40 MHz, but never above 40 MHz. “Electrons spiraling in Jupiter’s magnetic field are thought to be the cause of the radio noise we hear,” the space agency added.

Scientists have known about radio waves on Jupiter since the mid-1950s, but this is the first time the phenomenon has ever been

seen emanating from Ganymede.
The findings were recently published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters.

While notable, this is not the first time scientists have discovered strange occurrences on Ganymede. In 2018, researchers observed “extraordinary” electromagnetic waves, also known as “chorus waves,” thanks to the Galileo Probe spacecraft.

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has long fascinated astronomers—as it is the largest of the planet’s moons. In 2015, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope spotted evidence that Ganymede has an underground ocean.

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Search for Aliens Should Begin on Venus

November 24, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Joel Day November 14, 2020 (express.co.uk)

• The search for microbial life has largely been focused Mars and Jupiter’s moons, for example, Europa, which is thought to have stores of frozen lakes and freshwater. Venus had rarely crossed the minds of scientists. Then a few months ago, Researchers at Cardiff University announced that they’d found traces of phosphine – a key biological signature of life – in Venus’ atmosphere.

• The discovery was a paradox. Venus’ surface is extremely inhospitable: hot enough to melt lead. Sulphuric acid makes up most of the planet’s atmosphere. W such high temperatures and lack of oxygen, the phosphine gas should technically disappear within minutes of popping into existence.

• It is widely accepted that billions of years ago Venus, Earth and Mars had similar genetic makeup, formed from the same rocks and metals. However, it is presumed that ‘climate catastrophes’ devastated Venus and Mars. Today, Venus appears to be the antithesis to everything that sustains life. The atmospheric ground pressure in Venus is as if you were beneath 900m of water on Earth. The atmosphere acts more like a fluid than a gas. It is so dense that winds can move small rocks with ease.

• “Venus is an extremely cloudy world: only 20 percent of incident sunlight percolates down to the surface,” notes British astronomer Dr. Mark A. Garlick. The presence of dark patches or bands, so-called ‘unknown absorbers’, discovered more than a century ago, block most ultraviolet light and a portion of visible light, rendering these regions comparatively dark.

• Despite its soaring temperatures, Venus is only a heat trap on its surface. At an altitude of 50km, the atmospheric pressure drops to a temperature comparable to a temperate day on Earth. This is Venus’ habitable zone.

• Dr. Garlick is calling for endeavors into the search for alien life to change tack and focus on Venus, as it “is the easiest to reach”. “At an altitude of 50km, floating habitats would be the ideal launch pad from which to search for signs of life in the clouds,” said Dr. Garlick. “Perhaps our search for extraterrestrial cousins among the planets should begin there.”

• Bacteria swept up in water particles into the Earth’s atmosphere can survive at altitudes as high as 4km. Thus, the proposition that bacteria could survive the higher reaches of Venus’ atmosphere isn’t as ludicrous as it might first seem. The phosphine on Venus could be produced by a process that humans have not yet discovered. This gap in knowledge is the most “exciting” element of the discovery, says Dr. Garlick. “Phosphine, and the unknown substances absorbing ultraviolet light, taken together make a good case for studying (Venus) more closely.”

• Life in these conditions would be “undoubtedly very hardy”, says Dr. Garlick. “But, vitally, not impossible.”

Venus’ surface is extremely inhospitable: hot enough to melt lead, sulphuric acid lingers and makes up the best part of the planet’s atmosphere. Yet, only a few months ago, scientists for the first time found evidence for life on Earth’s scorching neighbour. Researchers at Cardiff University shocked the astronomical community after they identified traces of phosphine – a key biological signature of life – in Venus’ atmosphere.

The discovery was nothing short of a paradox: with soaring temperatures and lack of oxygen the gas should technically disappear within minutes if it ever pops into existence.

Thus, the search for life on Venus had rarely crossed the minds of scientists.

Efforts had largely been focused on Mars and Jupiter’s moons, for example, Europa, which is thought to have stores of frozen lakes and freshwater.

Now, researchers are calling for endeavours into alien life to change tack, and begin closer to home.

Dr Mark A Garlick noted that there are several other places in the Solar System touted as potential abodes of life, but are as of yet undiscovered.

He reasoned: “But among these worlds, it’s Venus that is the easiest to reach.

“At an altitude of 50km, floating habitats would be the ideal launch pad from which to search for signs of life in the clouds.

“Perhaps our search for extraterrestrial cousins among the planets should begin there.”

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NASA to Use a Steam-Powered Robot to Explore Icy Moons that Could Host Alien Life

July 9, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Chris Ciaccia June 30, 2020 (foxnews.com)

• NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory notes on its website that researchers are developing a soccer-ball sized robot known as SPARROW (Steam Propelled Autonomous Retrieval Robot for Ocean Worlds) that “would use steam propulsion to hop across the sort of icy terrains found on Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus.”

• “The terrain on Europa is likely highly complex,” said Gareth Meirion-Griffith, JPL roboticist and the lead researcher of the concept. “It could be porous, it might be riddled with crevasses, there might be meters-high penitentes” – long blades of ice known to form at high latitudes on Earth – “that would stop most robots in their tracks. But SPARROW has total terrain agnosticism; it has complete freedom to travel across an otherwise inhospitable terrain.” By using steam to power the robot, SPARROW could thrive in the “low-gravity environment” of Enceladus and Europa, hopping “many miles over landscapes that other robots would have difficulty navigating.”

• Enceladus and Europa both likely have oceans that exist under a layer of ice crust. In 2019, researchers determined Enceladus’ ocean is likely 1 billion years old. In 2018, researchers acknowledged they had found complex organic molecules, the “building blocks” for life on Enceladus.

• The SPARROW concept is dependent upon a lander to serve as a home base, which would “mine ice and melt it”, later heating it to create the steam necessary to power the SPARROW. It’s possible “many SPARROWs could be sent together, swarming around a specific location or splitting up to explore as much alien terrain as possible,” says NASA.
• In June, NASA announced the latest mission in its New Frontiers program known as Dragonfly, to explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which could also potentially host extraterrestrial life. NASA has also confirmed a future mission to Europa.

NASA’s plans to explore the ice moons of the Solar System are getting more detail as the space agency is developing a robot that would use steam to power itself in deep space.

In a post to its website, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory notes researchers are developing a soccer-ball sized robot known as SPARROW (Steam Propelled Autonomous Retrieval Robot for Ocean Worlds) that “would use steam propulsion to hop across the sort of icy terrains found on Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus.”

“The terrain on Europa is likely highly complex,” said Gareth Meirion-Griffith, JPL roboticist and the lead researcher of the concept, in the statement. “It could be porous, it might be riddled with crevasses, there might be meters-high penitentes” – long blades of ice known to form at high latitudes on Earth – “that would stop most robots in their tracks. But SPARROW has total terrain agnosticism; it has complete freedom to travel across an otherwise inhospitable terrain.”

Both moons have been mentioned as candidates to possibly host life previously, including one study published in December 2019 that suggested they could be “indigenous.”

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NASA Says Milky Way Could Have ‘Ocean Worlds’ All Over

July 1, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Chris Ciaccia June 22, 2020 (nypost.com)

• NASA researchers have published a study in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific saying that more than a quarter of the 53 exoplanets outside our solar system may be “ocean worlds” having significant amounts of water.

• “Plumes of water erupt from Europa and Enceladus, so we can tell that these bodies have subsurface oceans beneath their ice shells and they have energy that drives the plumes, which are two requirements for life as we know it,” said the study’s lead author Lynnae Quick, a NASA planetary scientist. “So if we’re thinking about these places as being possibly habitable, maybe bigger versions of them in other planetary systems are habitable too.” As such, Europa and Enceladus, moons that orbit Jupiter and Saturn, respectively, are icy celestial bodies that could harbor extraterrestrial life.

• Quick and the other researchers looked at exoplanets similar in size to Earth, along with exoplanets’ density, orbit, temperature, mass and distance from their star to reach their conclusions. These “ocean worlds” could release more energy than even Enceladus and Europa.

• Although studies tend to focus on exoplanets like ours that have a global biosphere so abundant it’s changing the chemistry of the whole atmosphere, NASA Goddard astrophysicist and study co-author Aki Roberge says, “(Within our) solar system, icy moons with oceans, which are far from the heat of the Sun, still have shown that they have the features we think are required for life.”

• Future missions searching for exterritorial life within our solar system include the Europa Clipper mission set to launch as soon as 2023, which will explore the surface of Europa. “If we find chemical signatures of life, we can try to look for similar signs at interstellar distances,” Quick added.

• As of June 2020. More then 4,000 exoplanets have been identified, approximately 50 of which were believed to be potentially habitable. A study published earlier this month suggested that there could be 36 alien civilizations in the Milky Way (see ExoArticle here). Another study this month suggested there could be as many as 6 billion “Earth-like” planets in the galaxy (see ExoArticle here).

A newly published study from NASA researchers suggests that there may be planets in the Milky Way galaxy other than Earth that have an ocean.

The research, published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, notes more than a quarter of the 53 exoplanets — planets outside the Solar System — that were studied could potentially be “ocean worlds,” planets that have significant amounts of water.

“Plumes of water erupt from Europa and Enceladus, so we can tell that these bodies have subsurface oceans beneath their ice shells and they have energy that drives the plumes, which are two requirements for life as we know it,” Lynnae Quick, NASA planetary scientist and the study’s lead author, said in a statement. “So if we’re thinking about these places as being possibly habitable, maybe bigger versions of them in other planetary systems are habitable too.”

Europa and Enceladus, moons that orbit Jupiter and Saturn, respectively, are icy celestial bodies that could potentially be home to extraterrestrial life.
Quick, who specializes in volcanism and ocean worlds and the other researchers looked at exoplanets similar in size to Earth, including a group of seven in the TRAPPIST-1 system, 39 light-years from Earth. A light-year, which represents distance in space, is the equivalent of about 6 trillion miles.
In addition to size, they looked at density, orbit, temperature, mass and how far the planets are from their star to come up with their conclusions.

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Astronomers Have Formula for Finding Subsurface Oceans in Exomoons

May 4, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Erik Arends April 23, 2020 (phys.org)

• In the search for extraterrestrial life, we have typically looked at Earth-like planets at a distance from their parent star where the temperature is between the freezing and boiling point of water. But as in our own solar system, most of the liquid water seems to be outside of this ‘habitable zone’ on moons where interior water is heated beyond the melting point by tidal forces.

• In our solar system only Mars and Earth have ‘habitable’ surfaces. But moons within our solar system, such as Enceladus, Europa and six other moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, are examples of celestial bodies that are freezing cold on the surface but may harbor habitable subsurface oceans.

• Researchers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the University of Groningen (RUG) have derived a formula that indicates whether a subsurface ocean is present on an ‘exomoon’ and how deep it is. Adding moons to the equation, exoplanet hunters have a much larger field of potentially habitable places to search for extraterrestrial life. In fact, “there could be four times as many habitable exomoons as exoplanets,” says lead author Jesper Tjoa.

• The formula analyzes factors including the diameter of the moon, the distance to its planet, the thickness of the gravel layer on the surface, and the thermal conductivity of the ice or soil layer below the surface to provide a lower limit for the ocean depth.

• Just as “astronomers study starlight shining through the atmospheres of exoplanets” to identify oxygen, for example, says Tjoa, future telescopes “may see geysers like on Enceladus, stemming from a subsurface ocean”, as an indication of life there.

So far, the search for extraterrestrial life has focused on planets at a distance from their star where liquid water is possible on the surface. But within

our Solar System, most of the liquid water seems to be outside this zone. Moons around cold gas giants are heated beyond the melting point by tidal forces. The search area in other planetary systems therefore increases if we also consider moons. Researchers from SRON and RUG have now found a formula to calculate the presence and depth of subsurface oceans in these ‘exomoons.”

In the search for extraterrestrial life, we have so far mainly looked at Earth-like planets at a distance from their parent star where the temperature is between the freezing and boiling point of water. But if we use our own Solar System as an example, moons look more promising than planets. Enceladus, Europa and about six other moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune may harbor a subsurface ocean. They all reside far outside the traditional habitable zone—it is literally freezing cold on the surface—but tidal interaction with their host planet heats up their interior.

With moons entering the equation, exoplanet hunters such as the future PLATO telescope—which SRON is also working on—gain hunting ground regarding the search for life. When astronomers find a so-called exomoon, the main question is whether liquid water is possible. Researchers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the University of Groningen (RUG) have now derived a formula telling us whether there is a subsurface ocean present and how deep it is.

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‘Racing Certainty’ There’s Life on Europa and Mars, Leading UK Space Scientist Says

February 17, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article from Liverpool Hope University February 6, 2020 (phys.org)

• Recently installed Chancellor at Liverpool Hope University and Professor of Planetary and Space Science, Monica Grady told a university audience recently that the notion of undiscovered life in our galaxy isn’t nearly as far-fetched as we might expect. It’s ‘almost a racing certainty’, says Grady.

• “[I]f there’s going to be life on Mars, ‘it’s likely to be very small bacteria’ and it’s going to be under the surface of the planet,” said Grady. Under the surface of Mars “you’re protected from solar radiation. And that means there’s the possibility of ice remaining in the pores of the rocks, which could act as a source of water.”

• “I think we’ve got a better chance of having slightly higher forms of life on Europa, perhaps similar to the intelligence of an octopus.” Jupiter’s moon Europa is covered by a layer of ice up to 15 miles deep, and there’s likely liquid water beneath where life could dwell. The ice acts as a protective barrier against both solar radiation and asteroid impact. The prospect of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor – as well sodium chloride in Europa’s salty water – also boost the prospects of life.

• As for what lies beyond the Milky Way galaxy, Professor Grady says that it is ‘highly likely’ that the environmental conditions that led to life on Earth could be replicated elsewhere. “Our solar system is not a particularly special planetary system, as far as we know, and we still haven’t explored all the stars in the galaxy,” says Grady, who has worked with the European Space Agency. “I think it’s highly likely there will be life elsewhere …made of the same elements.”

• Grady notes that based purely on a statistical argument, dinosaurs killed by an asteroid impact making way for furry mammals from which humans evolved is theoretically possible to replicate in this vast universe. “Whether we will ever be able to contact extraterrestrial life is anyone’s guess, purely because the distances are just too huge.” “As for so-called alien ‘signals’ received from space, there’s been nothing real or credible.”

• At least three separate missions will be launched to Mars this year. The ExoMars 2020 mission, a joint project of the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, launches in July and is planned to reach the red planet in February 2021. The space exploration probe, the Hope Mars Mission funded by the United Arab Emirates, is set to launch in the summer.

• Grady has been studying a single grain of rock that was brought back to Earth in 2010 from the asteroid ‘25143 Itokawa’ by the Japanese Hayabusa mission. “When we look at this grain, we can see that most of it is made up of silicates, but it’s also got little patches of carbon in it,” says Grady. “[W]e can see that it’s been hit by other bits of meteorite, asteroid, and interstellar dust. “It’s giving us an idea of how complex the record of extra-terrestrial material really is.”

• In order to avoid contaminating the Earth with a Mars virus, Professor Grady described how a NASA mission will collect soil samples in tubes and leave them on Mars. Then in 2026, an ESA mission will collect those samples and put them in orbit around Mars. Then, a third mission will come and collect that orbiting capsule. Says Grady, “It’s about breaking the chain of contact between Mars and the Earth, just in case we bring back some horrendous new virus.” “[W]e don’t want to contaminate Mars with our own terrestrial bugs.”

• Professor Grady points out that space mission sterilization protocols will also prevent other planets from being contaminated by Earth viruses. Current protocol requires boiling equipment in acid or heating it to high temperatures.”We could be all there is in the galaxy. And if there’s only us, then we have a duty to protect the planet.”

• [Editor’s Note] As usual, the universities dependent on deep state funding intend to maintain the status quo, giving the public the impression that they are open to the possibility of extraterrestrial life in the universe, but limiting it to bacterial life in underground crevasses or primitive sea life hidden underneath miles of ice. They will note that there is no “real or credible” evidence of any other type of extraterrestrial life. University chancellors and professors must remain in denial of the vast amount of evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life, the presence of ET beings here on Earth, and the existence of several secret space programs in order to keep their well-paid jobs and comfortable life styles.

It’s ‘almost a racing certainty’ there’s alien life on Jupiter’s moon Europa—and Mars could be hiding primitive microorganisms, too.

That’s the view of leading British space scientist Professor Monica Grady, who says the notion of undiscovered life in our galaxy isn’t nearly as far-fetched as we might expect.

Professor Grady, a Professor of Planetary and Space Science, says the frigid seas beneath Europa’s ice sheets could harbor ‘octopus’ like creatures.

Meanwhile the deep caverns and caves found on Mars may also hide subterranean life-forms—as they offer shelter from intense solar radiation while also potentially boasting remnants of ice.

Professor Grady was speaking at Liverpool Hope University, where she’s just been installed as Chancellor, and revealed: “When it comes to the prospects of life beyond Earth, it’s almost a racing certainty that there’s life beneath the ice on Europa.

“Elsewhere, if there’s going to be life on Mars, it’s going to be under the surface of the planet.

“There you’re protected from solar radiation. And that means there’s the possibility of ice remaining in the pores of the rocks, which could act as a source of water.

“If there is something on Mars, it’s likely to be very small—bacteria.

“But I think we’ve got a better chance of having slightly higher forms of life on Europa, perhaps similar to the intelligence of an octopus.”

Professor Grady isn’t the first to pinpoint Europa as a potential source of extraterrestrial life.

And the moon—located more than 390 million miles from Earth—has long been the subject of science fiction, too.

Europa, one of Jupiter’s 79 known moons, is covered by a layer of ice up to 15 miles deep—and there’s likely liquid water beneath where life could dwell.

The ice acts as a protective barrier against both solar radiation and asteroid impact.

Meanwhile, the prospect of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor—as well sodium chloride in Europa’s salty water—also boost the prospects of life.

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There’s Water on Jupiter’s Moon Europa

December 1, 2019
ExoNews Editor

Article by Mihai Andrei November 19, 2019 (zmescience.com)

• NASA has confirmed that Jupiter’s moon Europa contains liquid water, making it one of the most promising places we know for extraterrestrial life. Astronomers have previously observed plumes of water emerging from Europa reaching hundreds of kilometers high.

• More recently, researchers at the W. M. Keck Observatory, atop the dormant Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, found a clear signature of water molecules on the moon. Its earthbound spectrograph was able to detect water on Europa by meticulously removing the signatures of water molecules and other “contaminants” within the earth’s atmosphere.

• While “Essential chemical elements…are found all over the solar system,” says NASA scientist Lucas Paganini, liquid water is somewhat hard to find beyond Earth.” Forty years ago, the Voyager snapped a photo of a cracked and shifting geology on Europa, indicating tectonic drifts or even a sub-surface ocean with slabs of ice moving on top of it.

• Avi Mandell, a Goddard planetary scientist on Paganini’s team, said, “[E]ventually, we’ll have to get closer to Europa to see what’s really going on.” In 2025 he and his fellow astronomers will get their wish. NASA’s Clipper mission will launch toward Jupiter to analyze Europa’s habitability, chemistry, and geology. The mission will also help NASA select a landing site for its future Europa lander. The European Space Agency plans to launch its ‘Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (or “JUICE”) in 2022 to analyze Jupiter’s Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. Might these explorers detect life in a moon’s slushy ocean?

NASA has confirmed that Jupiter’s moon Europa contains liquid water, making it one of the most promising places we know for extraterrestrial life.

At first glance, not much is happening on Europa. A small, frozen world orbiting Jupiter doesn’t seem like the most interesting place out there. But 40 years ago, the Voyager snapped an intriguing photo of the satellite: its frozen surface wasn’t stale and monotonous, it was cracked and sliced by different features, suggesting active and recent phenomena. Subsequent missions showed even more exciting things.

Despite being undoubtedly bombarded by meteorites, Europa’s surface is largely devoid of craters. This means that something must have erased or eroded them, suggesting some active geology. Not only is Europa active — it has some form of tectonics, and more impressively, it seems to have liquid water. The liquid water isn’t on the surface but rather beneath the frozen surface. The pattern of the cracks observed on Europa’s surface suggest that the frozen surface of the planet is not locked to the rest of the interior, which is exactly what you’d expect to happen if a layer of liquid were to exist beneath the surface.

To make things even more tantalizing, astronomers have observed something which seems to be plumes of water emerging from Europa. Some of the plumes are hundreds of kilometers high, adding even more evidence to the case for water on Europa.

Now, that case is essentially proven. Researchers looking from the W. M. Keck Observatory, atop the dormant Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, found a clear signature of water molecules.

“Essential chemical elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur) and sources of energy, two of three requirements for life, are found all over the solar system. But the third — liquid water — is somewhat hard to find beyond Earth,” said Lucas Paganini, a NASA planetary scientist who led the water detection investigation. “While scientists have not yet detected liquid water directly, we’ve found the next best thing: water in vapor form.”

1:46 minute video on ‘Water Plumes on Europa” (NASA Goddard youTube)

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SOFIA Space Observatory Studying Jupiter Moon Europa for Life Signs

March 19, 2019
ExoNews Editor

by Tom Fish March 5, 2019 (express.co.uk)

• Dr. Amanda Hendrix, co-lead of the NASA Roadmaps to Oceans World Group, believes that studying the oceans of other worlds is the key to finding alien life beyond the Earth – albeit microbial life. “We need to understand whether these oceans are habitable and if so, whether these oceans actually host life,” says Dr. Hendrix.

• In 2017, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) flying observatory discovered that Jupiter’s moon Europa’s icy surface expelled water plumes containing approximately the amount of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. In 2018, the NASA Galileo probe flew through a giant plume of water vapor erupting from Europa. These plumes blast debris a hundred miles high, according to the spacecraft’s data.

• Hendrix reasons that life on Europa will most likely be clustered around hydrothermal vents on its subterranean ocean floor in a watery world of perpetual darkness. What passes for warmth on Europa is largely derived from tidal “kneading” caused by the colossal gravitational forces created by its orbit around gas giant Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet.

• [Editor’s Note] Mainstream scientists continue their long, drawn out process of pretending to seek alien life beyond Earth, in order to give the impression that smart people are doing their best but still cannot come up with anything beside a theory of microbial life in thermal plumes. Therefore, the public is reassured that we are the only intelligent life in the universe, reinforcing the Deep State delusion that the galaxy really isn’t teeming with intelligent civilizations, nor are government and private secret space programs interacting with extraterrestrial beings on a regular basis.

Humans have long pondered whether our world is unique in the universe in sustaining life. Scientists are increasingly confident “wet” worlds resembling Earth are the best place to start the search for alien life. And accordingly, US space agency NASA a craft to search for clues of early life on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

The NASA Galileo probe last year flew through a giant plume of water vapour erupting from Europa’s icy surface.

These plumes blast debris a hundred miles high, according to a fresh analysis of the spacecraft’s data.

The discovery has cemented the growing scientific consensus Jupiter’s moon, one of four first spotted by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610, is the most promising place in the solar system to hunt for alien life.

Now NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) spacecraft has revealed tantalising clues to understanding Europa’s environment and its subsurface ocean.

Such erupting water plumes contain approximately the amount of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Although’s SOFIA’s 2017 observations did not directly detect the plume, it did establish an upper limit on how much water could be in the plumes.

This upper limit is pivotal to ongoing NASA analyses into the contents and origins of the plumes, which will help reveal if Europa has the ingredients to support life.

Any life found on Jupiter’s moon Europa will have to be made of sturdy stuff.
Europa’s surface temperature never rises above -160C (-256F).

And what passes for warmth on Europa is largely derived from tidal “kneading” caused by the colossal gravitational forces created by its orbit around gas giant Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet.

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Alien Lifeforms Will Be Discovered Within 20 Years, British Scientist Predicts

November 30, 2018
ExoNews Editor

by Jasper Hamill November 19, 2018 (metro.co.uk)

• Dr. David L Clements, a top astrophysicist at Imperial University (Imperial College London) as recently published a paper claiming that alien life will be discovered within 20 years. “…[N]ew observational insights and other developments mean that signs of life elsewhere might realistically be uncovered in the next decade or two,” says Clements.

• In his study, Dr. Clements discussed the Fermi Paradox, saying that an alien space-faring civilization, “…should thus already be here, and yet they are not.” “This can be used as an argument against the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials, but our own existence is proof that intelligent life can and does arise in the Galaxy. This is the central puzzle of the Fermi Paradox.”

• Dr. Clements’ paper goes on to suggest that life is likely to be found in oceans locked beneath the frozen surface of moons or planets. In our own solar system, one of the most likely homes for alien life is Europa, a moon of Jupiter which is believed to be hiding a gigantic body of water beneath its icy crust. “We are left with the rather chilling prospect that the galaxy may be filled with life, but that any intelligence within it is locked away beneath impenetrable ice barriers, unable to communicate with, or even comprehend the existence of, the universe outside,” says Dr. Clements.

• [Editor’s Note] Perhaps the true error is in the assumption that alien beings should already be here, “yet they are not”. Oh, they’re here alright, and in a variety and numbers that will astound the intentionally uninformed citizens of planet Earth. They will reveal themselves when it serves their purpose. The question is, is the reason that they are here one that is negative or positive for the human race?

In a newly published paper, one of the nation’s top astrophysicists has claimed we will discover traces of alien life within 20 years. Dr David L Clements of Imperial University said that ‘detecting signs of life elsewhere has been so technically challenging as to seem almost impossible’ until very recently. ‘However, new observational insights and other developments mean that signs of life elsewhere might realistically be uncovered in the next decade or two,’ he continued.

In his study, Dr Clements discussed the Fermi Paradox, which is the contradiction between the high probability of life existing in the universe and the fact we haven’t managed to detect it. Theoretically, a ‘space-faring civilisation’ should be able to visit every single star in the galaxy in a timescale of between 50 and 100 million years – even if they travelled at velocities which were slower than the speed of light. ‘Aliens should thus already be here, and yet they are not,’ Dr Clements added. ‘This can be used as an argument against the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials, but our own existence is proof that intelligent life can and does arise in the Galaxy. ‘This is the central puzzle of the Fermi Paradox.’

His paper goes on to suggest that life is likely to be found in oceans locked beneath the frozen surface of moons or planets – which could have big implications for the development of a civilisation. In our own solar system, one of the most likely homes for alien life is Europa, a moon of Jupiter which is believed to be hiding a gigantic body of water beneath its icy crust. ‘We are left with the rather chilling prospect that the galaxy may be filled with life, but that any intelligence within it is locked away beneath impenetrable ice barriers, unable to communicate with, or even comprehend the existence of, the universe outside,’ the paper continued. ‘We know that species that live in water can evolve to a high level of intelligence – dolphins and octopuses are good examples. ‘However, A liquid environment may be a limiting factor in the development of technology.’

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Jupiter’s Moon Europa Has Huge Shards of Ice That Could Stop Us Finding Aliens Who Live There

October 18, 2018
ExoNews Editor

by Andrew Griffen October 8, 2018 (independent.co.uk)

• Jupiter’s moon Europa is often held up as one of the most promising places to discover extraterrestrial life. It is relatively near and has huge seas of liquid water under its surface, which could provide a home to those aliens. However, in a new research paper, Dr Daniel Hobley, from Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences describes how treacherous the surface of Europa is for landing spacecraft or probes.

• “The presence of sharp, blade-like structures towering to almost 15 metres high would make any potential landing mission to Europa extremely precarious. We hope that studies like ours will help the engineers to develop innovative ways of delivering landers safely on Europa’s surface so that we can find out even more about this fascinating place, and potentially look for signs of extra-terrestrial life,” said Dr Hobley.

• These massive shards of ices, or “penitentes”, are formed through a process known as sublimation. That turns ice into water vapor without melting into a liquid between the two, and leaves behind those blade-like formations that point right up into the sky. Europa has the right thermal conditions for this sublimation to occur, and the sun always shines at the same angle towards the surface. Penitentes between one and five metres tall do grow on Earth, but are restricted to extreme areas such as the Andes Mountains.

Towering blades of ice could get in the way of our search for alien life, scientists have warned.
Jupiter’s moon Europa is often held up as one of the most promising places to discover extraterrestrials. It is relatively near and has huge seas of liquid water under its surface, which could provide a home to those aliens.

Scientists hope to eventually land a spacecraft on that icy crust and drill down beneath it to see whatever is lurking in the oceans below.

But on that same alien surface are vast shards and daggers of snow that could destroy any craft that attempted to land there, scientists have warn. Reaching almost 15 metres tall, the blades of sharp ice could be a fatal barrier to any attempt to meet that extra-terrestrial life.

Any potential landing mission would have to navigate those “penitentes” before it could drop onto the surface.

0.53-minute video on ice shards on Europa

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Strongest Possibility Yet for Life on Jupiter’s Moon Europa

December 21, 2017
ExoNews Editor

by Paul Seaburn December 7, 2017 (mysteriousuniverse.org)

• A recent discovery of tectonic activity on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, has Brown University assistant professor, Brandon Johnson, imagining whether this could stir up the pot enough to cultivate a life form or two there.

• Where the Earth’s tectonic plate shift around, or “subduct”, due to the molten mantle pushing upwards, it is speculated that the changes in permeation of salt in the waters and ice of Europa may cause ice sheets to subduct. And with this subduction, nutrients at the surface could be shoved down to provide nourishment for creatures under the moon’s oceans.

• Says Johnson, “Our work… implies that the plates will sink all the way to Europa’s subsurface ocean. This is important because material from the surface of Europa could act as food for life that may exist in Europa’s ocean.”

It’s a term that’s used too frequently and too lightly, but in this case it seems more than appropriate: “This could change everything.” ‘This’ is the discovery of tectonic plate movement on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Those plates rubbing together under the moon’s frozen surface could move nutrients from the ice to the ocean believed to be beneath it, providing food to any life forms floating around down there. If life can exist deep underneath Antarctica, why not on Europa?

How do you get from plates moving to life existing? Good question. It starts at Brown University in Rhode Island where Brandon Johnson, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, was trying to figure out how tectonic plates could move without heat. That’s the key ingredient here on Earth where the cold dense plates slide underneath each other into the underlying hot mantle in a process known as subduction. Subduction zones on Earth have high rates of earthquakes and volcanoes that are both products and propagators of the process. The energy it created and released may have caused the chemical reactions that sparked life as well as the movements that stirred the waters and fed it nutrients.

But how can this work on frozen celestial bodies with no hot mantle? Johnson and his colleagues did what scientists do … created a model to figure out what would make ice plates move in the same way as rock plates. The simulations found that the secret ingredient was … pixie dust! Just kidding … it was salt. As salt melts it, an ice plate becomes less dense, causing it to rise so that a colder, more dense ice plate can slide under it. It then hits the warmer liquid in the ocean underneath the surface, melts to be come less dense and rises up again, causing further subduction.

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Tag: Europa