NASA refers to Europa as an "ocean world" due to the likely presence of a liquid water ocean beneath its icy surface.
NASA has referred to Europa as one of Jupiter’s moons. It is also known as an "ocean world" because strong evidence suggests that a vast ocean of liquid water lies beneath its thick icy surface. This discovery has sparked great interest, as water is a key ingredient for life.
In the 1960s, astronomers using ground-based telescopes first identified Europa's surface as being mostly made of water ice, similar to other moons and objects in the outer solar system. But Europa is special because, besides water, it contains several key chemical elements essential for life. These elements—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur—are believed to have been present when Europa first formed. Over time, impacts from asteroids and comets may have delivered more organic material to the moon.
According to NASA, some of these important elements might be found within Europa’s icy shell, while others could come from the moon’s core or the weathering of its rocky interior. However, Europa's surface is exposed to very high levels of radiation from Jupiter, which makes it unlikely that life could exist on the surface. Interestingly, though, NASA believes this radiation could help create fuel for potential life forms in the ocean beneath the ice.
To explore Europa’s habitability further, NASA is planning the Europa Clipper mission. It will take a closer look at the moon's icy shell, its potential ocean, and its ability to support life. In addition to this, the European Space Agency's JUICE mission will also explore Europa, as well as another of Jupiter’s moons, Ganymede. Another mission, still in the proposal stage, is the Europa Lander, which would land directly on Europa’s surface to study its composition and determine if it could truly support life.
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 "Europa Clipper I Source: NASA")
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