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Exploring the Icy Ocean World Europa

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Exploring the Icy Ocean World Europa Krista M. Soderlund 19 August 2020 Outline 1) Introduction to Icy Ocean Worlds • Follow the water to subsurface oceans in the outer solar system 2) Europa - potential abode for life • What do we know (and don’t know) • Implications for habitability 3) Europa Clipper • Flagship-class mission to explore Europa’s habitability 4) Future Exploration Outline 1) Introduction to Icy Ocean Worlds • Follow the water to subsurface oceans in the outer solar system 2) Europa - potential abode for life • What do we know (and don’t know) • Implications for habitability 3) Europa Clipper • Flagship-class mission to explore Europa’s habitability 4) Future Exploration What makes a world habitable? • Traditionally, a world is considered habitable if it can support liquid water on its surface. Philosophy of "follow the water" guides Mars habitability investigations What makes a world habitable? • Traditionally, a world is considered habitable if it can support liquid water on its surface. Philosophy of "follow the water" guides Mars habitability investigations In the outer solar system, liquid water exists in subsurface oceans hidden by an outer shell of ice Credit: NASA Icy Ocean Worlds Credit: NASA/JPL/K. P. Hand Icy Ocean Worlds Ceres Credit: NASA/JPL/K. P. Hand Icy Ocean Worlds Ceres Credit: NASA/JPL/K. P. Hand Icy Ocean Worlds Mimas Ceres Credit: NASA/JPL/K. P. Hand Icy Ocean Worlds Mimas Ceres Credit: NASA/JPL/K. P. Hand Icy Ocean Worlds Mimas Ceres Credit: NASA/JPL/K. P. Hand Outline 1) Introduction to Icy Ocean Worlds • Follow the water to subsurface oceans in the outer solar system 2) Europa - potential abode for life • What do we know (and don’t know) • Implications for habitability 3) Europa Clipper • Flagship-class mission to explore Europa’s habitability 4) Future Exploration History of Exploration • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 G I/E C G I E C G/E G C E G I I - Io E - Europa GIC E G - Ganymede C - Callisto History of Exploration • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 G I/E C G I E C G/E G C E G I I - Io E - Europa GIC E G - Ganymede C - Callisto Credit: Saint John Astronomy Club Pioneer 10 flyby, 1973 Pioneer 11 flyby, 1974 History of Exploration • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 • Pioneer 10 flyby in 1973, Pioneer 11 flyby in 1974 Credit: NASA Pioneer 10 flyby, 1973 Pioneer 11 flyby, 1974 Voyager 1 flyby, 1979 Voyager 2 flyby, 1979 History of Exploration • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 • Pioneer 10 flyby in 1973, Pioneer 11 flyby in 1974 • Voyager 1 flyby in 1979, Voyager 2 flyby in 1979 Credit: NASA Pioneer 10 flyby, 1973 Pioneer 11 flyby, 1974 Voyager 1 flyby, 1979 Voyager 2 flyby, 1979 Galileo, 1995-2003 History of Exploration • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 • Pioneer 10 flyby in 1973, Pioneer 11 flyby in 1974 • Voyager 1 flyby in 1979, Voyager 2 flyby in 1979 • Galileo spacecraft toured the Jovian system for 8 yrs Credit: NASA/NOAO/DLR Pioneer 10 flyby, 1973 Pioneer 11 flyby, 1974 Voyager 1 flyby, 1979 Voyager 2 flyby, 1979 Galileo, 1995-2003 History of Exploration New Horizons flyby, 2007 • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 • Pioneer 10 flyby in 1973, Pioneer 11 flyby in 1974 • Voyager 1 flyby in 1979, Voyager 2 flyby in 1979 • Galileo spacecraft toured the Jovian system for 8 yrs • New Horizons flyby in 2007 Credit: NASA Pioneer 10 flyby, 1973 Pioneer 11 flyby, 1974 Voyager 1 flyby, 1979 Voyager 2 flyby, 1979 Galileo, 1995-2003 History of Exploration New Horizons flyby, 2007 Juno, 2016- • Discovered by Galileo in 1610 • Pioneer 10 flyby in 1973, Pioneer 11 flyby in 1974 • Voyager 1 flyby in 1979, Voyager 2 flyby in 1979 • Galileo spacecraft toured the Jovian system for 8 yrs • New Horizons flyby in 2007 • Juno in orbit around Jupiter Credit: NASA Europa • Fundamental propertiesEUROPA Europa Earth Unit Distance from Jupiter 0.67106 km Rotation period 3.55 1 days Radius 1561 6371 km Density 3013 5515 kg.m-3 The outer ice shell hides a global liquid water ocean Gravity 1.31 9.80 m.s-2 that contains more water than the Earth’s oceans Facts Global subsurface ocean Credit: NASA Englacial lakes Potential plume activity Unique and varied geology Habitability Candidate Europa • Evidence for a global subsurface ocean of salty water Bands and Ridges Geology: Young/smooth surface, Crater relaxation, Endogenic salts, Englacial water? Chaos Terrain Impact Craters Credit: NASA/JPL/DLR Europa • Evidence for a global subsurface ocean of salty water Geology: Young/smooth surface, Gravity: Crater relaxation, Differentiated, Mostly rock, Endogenic salts, Outer water layer(s?) Englacial water? Credit: NASA Europa • Evidence for a global subsurface ocean of salty water Geology: Young/smooth surface, Gravity: Crater relaxation, Differentiated, Mostly rock, Endogenic salts, Outer water layer(s?) Englacial water? Magnetometer: Induced magnetic field near the surface Credit: NASA Europa • Evidence for a global subsurface ocean of salty water Geology: Young/smooth surface, Gravity: Crater relaxation, Differentiated, Mostly rock, Plumes: Endogenic salts, Outer water layer(s?) Liquid water Englacial water? beneath the surface Magnetometer: Induced magnetic field near the surface Credit: NASA Europa • Tidal heating maintains the ocean for billions of years Credit: NASA Outstanding Questions • How are Europa’s unique geologic features formed? Do pockets of liquid water exist within the ice shell? Credit: NASA Outstanding Questions • How thick are the ice shell and ocean? Credit: NASA/JPL/Michael Carroll Outstanding Questions • What are the non-ice components of the ice shell? What is the ocean composition and its salinity? More NaCl Less NaCl Credit: NASA/Trumbo et al. 2019 Outstanding Questions • Is the rocky mantle hot? Credit: ROV KIEL 6000/GEOMAR/GNS Outstanding Questions • How are heat and material exchanged between the surface, ice shell, ocean and seafloor? Ice Shell Spreading Center Ocean Convection Credit: NASA/JPL/Howell & Pappalardo 2018/Soderlund et al. 2013 Outstanding Questions • How active is Europa today? Voyager 2 (1979) Galileo (1998) Lack of change at ~2 km/pixel scale over 20 yrs <1 km2/yr resurfacing rate >30 Myr age Credit: NASA/Roth et al. 2014 Is Europa habitable? Energy Water Chemical energy to Solvent supporting sustain metabolic biochemical reactions activity Water Time Chemistry Energy Chemistry Building blocks for life to grow and reproduce (CHNOPS) Is Europa habitable? • Conditions along the ice-ocean interface are similar to those below Antarctic ice shelves Credit: NASA/Planet Observer/Universal Images Group/N. Wolfenbarger/C. Yakiwchuck, E. van Wijk, R. Coleman Is Europa habitable? • Conditions along the ice-ocean interface are similar to those below Antarctic ice shelves Credit: Frank Rack, Andrill Science Management Office, University of Nebraska -Lincoln 10 cm Edwardsiella andrillae anemones living in the base of the Ross Ice Shelf Credit: NASA/Planet Observer/Universal Images Group/N. Wolfenbarger/C. Yakiwchuck, E. van Wijk, R. Coleman Is Europa habitable? • Pressure at the seafloor would be 130-260 MPa, corresponding to 13-26 km depth of a theoretical Earth's ocean Credit: NASA/K.P. Hand/NOAA Is Europa habitable? • Pressure at the seafloor would be 130-260 MPa, corresponding to 13-26 km depth of a theoretical Earth's ocean Credit: NASA/K.P. Hand/NOAA Is Europa habitable? Credit: K. P. Hand/JPL/NASA Outline 1) Introduction to Icy Ocean Worlds • Follow the water to subsurface oceans in the outer solar system 2) Europa - potential abode for life • What do we know (and don’t know) • Implications for habitability 3) Europa Clipper • Flagship-class mission to explore Europa’s habitability 4) Future Exploration NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission • Goal: Explore Europa to investigate its habitability - Ice Shell & Ocean: Characterize the ice shell and any subsurface water, including their heterogeneity, ocean properties, and the nature of surface-ice-ocean exchange - Composition: Understand the habitability of Europa’s ocean through composition and chemistry - Geology: Understand the formation of surface features, including sites of recent or current activity, and characterize high science interest localities - Current Activity: Search for and characterize any current activity, notably plumes and thermal anomalies Europa Clipper Science MASPEX ECM Magnetometer Mass Spectrometer sniffing atmospheric SUDA sensing ocean PIMS composition Dust Analyzer properties Faraday Cups surface & plume plasma environment composition Europa-UVS E-THEMIS REASON UV Spectrograph Thermal Imager Ice-Pentrating Radar surface & plume/ searching for hot spots plumbing the ice shell atmosphere composition EIS Narrow-angle Camera + MISE Wide-angle Camera IR Spectrometer mapping alien landscape in surface chemical 3D & color fingerprints In Situ Remote Sensing Gravity internal structure Europa Clipper Synergistic Science Copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged Europa Clipper Synergistic Science Gravity Copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged Europa Clipper Synergistic Science Gravity Magnetometry + Plasma Copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged Europa Clipper Synergistic Science Gravity Magnetometry + Plasma Imaging Copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged Europa Clipper Synergistic Science Gravity Magnetometry + Plasma Imaging Infrared Copyright 2018 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged Europa Clipper Synergistic Science Gravity Magnetometry + Plasma Imaging
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