NASA revisits Europa with Juno spacecraft

NASA’s Juno spacecraft simply made the closest flyby of Jupiter’s moon, Europa, in over twenty years. Juno swept inside 219 miles (352 kilometers) of the icy world on Thursday, Sept. 29. The move was solely a mile shy of the closest go to on document, set by NASA’s Galileo mission in 2000.

One have a look at the picture above and you will get a way of how shut Juno received to the jovian moon. The craft’s JunoCam zoomed in on Annwn Regio, a fractured area close to Europa’s equator. And due to the distinction between the day and nightside, terrain options are additionally introduced into view. Vivid and darkish ridges and troughs crisscross the floor like scars. Close to the terminator, the boundary between gentle and darkish, lies an odd pit that may be a degraded affect crater. 

Hidden beneath this worn and gnarled floor could also be a haven for all times, as Europa is one of the worlds in our solar system that scientists think could harbor liquid water. Europa’s water can be locked in a subsurface ocean buried miles beneath its icy floor, however researchers suppose it nonetheless may host the circumstances essential to assist life. 

Whereas Juno’s latest flyby of Europa was quick — simply two hours — its observations might be used to assist future missions to the intriguing moon, together with NASA’s Europa Clipper. Presently scheduled to launch in 2024, Europa Clipper will be stationed around Europa in an effort to carry out repeated flybys and examine whether or not this world actually harbors an ocean able to sustaining life. 

However till Europa Clipper launches, the info collected throughout Juno’s flyby must maintain researchers. And fortunately, it has promise.