Europa Clipper Artist's Concept

This artist's concept depicts NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter. Scientists believe Jupiter's icy moon Europa harbors a vast internal ocean that may have conditions suitable for supporting life. While orbiting Jupiter, the spacecraft will fly by the moon about 50 times, allowing its science instruments to gather data on Europa's atmosphere, surface, and interior – information that will help scientists learn more about the ocean, the ice crust, and potential plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space. Europa Clipper's three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon's icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission's detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26068

Date

2024-08-27

Photographer / author

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Collection

JPL

Archive

NASA Image and Video Library

Type

illustration (NASA artwork)

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