NASA revisits Europa with Juno spacecraft

NASA’s Juno spacecraft simply made the closest flyby of Jupiter’s moon, Europa, in over 20 years. Juno swept inside 219 miles (352 kilometers) of the icy world on Thursday, Sept. 29. The cross was solely a mile shy of the closest go to on file, 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 obtained to the jovian moon. The craft’s JunoCam zoomed in on Annwn Regio, a fractured area close to Europa’s equator. And because of the distinction between the day and nightside, terrain options are additionally introduced into view. Brilliant and darkish ridges and troughs crisscross the floor like scars. Close to the terminator, the boundary between mild and darkish, lies a wierd pit that could be a degraded influence 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 could be locked in a subsurface ocean buried miles beneath its icy floor, however researchers assume it nonetheless may host the situations essential to assist life. 

Whereas Juno’s latest flyby of Europa was quick — simply two hours — its observations will probably be used to assist future missions to the intriguing moon, together with NASA’s Europa Clipper. At the moment scheduled to launch in 2024, Europa Clipper will be stationed around Europa to be able 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 information collected throughout Juno’s flyby should maintain researchers. And fortunately, it has promise.