Russia Wants to Land on Europa

February 13, 2009

NASA is expected to announce next week whether its next mission to the outer planets will target Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s Titan, but the Russians apparently have their own game plan.

During a week-long meeting in Moscow that ended today, scientists presented ideas for a free-flying lander and small orbiter to study Europa, a long-favored target of scientists in search of life beyond Earth.

The bulk of the science would be undertaken by a hefty lander which could include some type of drill to penetrate into Europa’s icy crust.  Beneath the ice, scientists suspect a large ocean is hiding, with two to three times the amount of all the water on Earth. The thickness of the ice is unknown.

The Russians, however, have an even bigger hurdle to clear: getting funding for the mission.

(Europa's freckled surface, captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in 1998. The spots and pits seen in the moon's northern hemisphere are each about six miles in diameter. The dark spots are called "lenticulae," the Latin term for freckles. Their similar sizes and spacing suggest that Europa's icy shell may be churning away like a lava lamp, with warmer ice moving upward from the bottom of the ice shell while colder ice near the surface sinks downward.)

 

Comments

[Marcel F. Williams]

It would be much easier to study the moons of Jupiter and Jupiter itself if we established a permanent human facility on Callisto, the only large Jovian Moon that is outside of Jupiter's deadly radiation belt. Such a facility could probably pay for itself commercially by exporting water or just pure hydrogen from the low gravity of the icy surface of Callisto back to Terra-Luna space to support reusable rockets and orbiting facilities. Reusable rockets could transfer the ice into orbit and lightsails could transfer the payload into lunar or Earth orbit.

A Callisto base could operate mobile robots on the surface of the Jovian moons and blimps inside the atmosphere of Jupiter. And material extracted from Jupiter or its moons could be retrieved and transferred to the Callisto facility for analysis.

Callisto could also maintain large telescopes to study Jupiter and its moons and also the rest of the universe. Mass shielding from cosmic radiation and micrometeorites using the ice crust shouldn't be too difficult. Water and oxygen can also be derived from the regolith. Hopefully, living on a low gravity world with a a 0.13 gravity won't be too deleterious to the health of the humans living there. But, in the near future, a lunar facility, with its 0.16 gravity, should tell us if it is seriously harmful for humans to live in a low gravity environment.

Marcel F. Williams
http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/

[Brandon Morrisey]

Ha Ha, Marcel. I think you are getting way ahead of yourself. Funny how the article closes about the need to secure funding.

[John WOods]

Wow, that is some pretty cool stuff dude.

RT
www.anon-tools.us.tc

[sensfaction]

Marcel When I read your comment I thought I was reading a script for the new star trek movie. Although those ideas might be plausible. In the financial times we live in anyone supporting them is highly non existent. Could you imagine the american people supporting funding for that scale of a project. Oh wait they already do, the war...

[LUCAS]

All these worlds are yours except Europa.

[HAL-9000]

All these worlds are yours except Europa. Attempt no landing there. Use them together. Use them in peace.

[Michaël]

Just for the record, this is not "nasa's next mission"... It's a joint NASA / ESA mission.

[kooley]

all your base are belong to us

[Mike B]

I like Marcel F. Williams idea, but it is probably a few hundred years ahead of schedule. The funding and technology is just not there yet, especially the funding. The will is not there yet either, which would take the will we use for war now. Humans need more grow up time I'm afraid, before we can truelly explore our backyard and beyond.
It is still a beautiful idea, kudos Marcel.

[angryrat]

The funny thing is, that these "Marcel-type" projects would pay for themselves (unlike the war in Iraq) after a short while. Just the will is missing to make one expensive effort (probably more than one effort, because, we know, there'll be always pitfalls, and setbacks.)
We should find another Soviet Union somewhere, so that it becomes political matter. Maybe ask the Iranians to launch another space race? :)

[crocsim]

yeah i saw that movie too. 2010, clarke does it again it seems.

[Shay]

I've heard reference to the massive amount of repair and part replacement in any earth based mining environment. The point is that even earth based mining can be unprofitable when one considers the overhead costs. When you add in the astronomical (ha, get it?) costs of dealing with a vacuum, radiation, food transportation, and extreme cold, the idea of any space based venture paying for itself seems unlikely.

At least not until there is a thriving orbital economy of some sort.

[Velocity Wave]

I believe Marcel's idea could be made to work now -- and the mission would either return a profit, or pay for itself in part.

I believe it's only a matter of time -- things are moving forward at a rapidly accelerating pace, so this could happen quickly in time (if you think of exponential growth instead of linear achievements/growth).

In fact I think the "Marcel-type" project around the Jupiter neighborhood could happen now, with present technology.

But I think we're just missing the will-power for now.

[Marcel F. Williams]

Thanks for the comments on my Callisto base idea. As I noted, such a permanently manned facility on Callisto could probably be built after we establish a permanent presence on the surface of the moon and Mars-- perhaps in the 2030's or 2040's. And it should be pretty easy to get there if we use cheap extraterrestrially manufactured lightsails as interplanetary transports.

Almost all of my space concepts have some commercial aspect to them. Check out my article 'Mining the Moons of Mars' at:

http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2008/09/mining-moons-of-mars.html

Marcel F. Williams

[MasonicSky]

Bullocks..

[MasonicSky]

Bullocks..

[David E. Hacker, Sr.]

We, the USA should offer a joint mission so that the job gets done. It is in our best interest to keep Russia our friends instead of opponents. Europe should join too so it would be truly international and show Russia we are all in this together.

[شات]

nice
thanks

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[منتديات]

great post keep it up

[Kris Ringwood]

Those giant "footprints" indicate there may be something about that might not like that! Someone needs to tell our Russki friends to watch 2010 again and remember the "Monolith's" caveats!

[David E. Hacker, Sr.]

We should develop an international cooperative to get the funding for Russia's program. We need to cement our friendship and stop competing. If Russia wants to do it, help them. The knowledge is what we all want and need so let's help them get the job done.

[Wholesale Men Clothing]

Callisto could also maintain large telescopes to study Jupiter and its moons and also the rest of the universe. Mass shielding from cosmic radiation and micrometeorites using the ice crust shouldn't be too difficult. Water and oxygen can also be derived from the regolith. Hopefully, living on a low gravity world with a a 0.13 gravity won't be too deleterious to the health of the humans living there. But, in the near future, a lunar facility, with its 0.16 gravity, should tell us if it is seriously harmful for humans to live in a low gravity environment. http://www.eshopwalk.com

[AI]

You cannot leave this planet. We will not let you pass the orbit of your moon, attempt this feat and all life on Earth shall be engulfed in fire and brought back to the ash from whence it came.

[infant]

Callisto could also maintain large telescopes to study Jupiter and its moons and also the rest of the universe. Mass shielding from cosmic radiation and micrometeorites using the ice crust shouldn't be too difficult