http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0204/pwyll_gal.jpg

Pwyll: Icy Crater of Europa
Credit: PIRL, Galileo Project, NASA
The impact crater Pwyll (a name from Celtic Mythology) is thought to represent one of the youngest features on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. A combination of color and high resolution black and white data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft was used to produce this view looking down on the crater with the sun illuminating the scene from the right. Pwyll's visible dark central region is about 26 kilometers in diameter, while brilliant white rays of debris blasted from the impact site extend outward for hundreds of kilometers. The white debris or ejecta clearly overlays everything else on the surface - indicating that this impact crater is younger than all surrounding features. The bright white color suggests a composition of water ice particles. Galileo's instruments have uncovered substantial evidence that water in liquid form exists below Europa's icy surface. If Europa has a subsurface ocean, could it harbor life?

Yes. Yes it could.

Europa is actually considered the most likely place for life in this solar system (not including Earth of course ;) ) NASA is currently working on a probe to send to Europa to try and measure the thickness of the ice. If the ice is fairly thin they will probally send another one to break through the ice and get samples of the water underneath. Im not sure what their current progress is though.

wet1,

Water isn't the only requirement for life. You also have to have an element that can form long molecular chains, like carbon or silicon.

Tom

Joeblow93132,

I will not argue that at all but it is harder to find a suitable growth enviroment than to come by the necessary building blocks of life.

I for one would love to see a mission to Europa. With the possibility of water on it, who knows what we would find. I just wish NASA would get its head out of its ass or another group or agency would take over.


Maybe we should have a governmental/private sector space agency, cause the fed government seems to be running out of gas and the private sector could help give the extra resources and steam when its needed.

Azrael,

Dont worry too much im pretty sure the project is a joint one with NASA and the European Space Agency which is actually well run. ;)

Originally posted by Neutrino_Albatross
Azrael,

Dont worry too much im pretty sure the project is a joint one with NASA and the European Space Agency which is actually well run. ;)


Ive heard some good things about the ESA, it seems they are very well orginized and well run.

The fly in the ointment…

Europe To NASA: Get Your ISS Act Together

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – European partners in the U.S.-led International Space Station program (ISS) continue to express concern regarding American actions about crew size onboard the facility and waylaying final construction of the orbiting outpost.
NASA of late has been caught in a financial and managerial crunch in going forward with the ultra-expensive mega-project. Those problems now portend to reduce the overall effectiveness and research utility of the ISS, much to the chagrin of non-U.S. partners.
As space plane Atlantis docked with the ISS overhead in space, here at the 18th National Space Symposium, discussion of the project is grounded in worry about the future of the 16-nation endeavor.

For the rest of the article:*here* (http://www.space.com/news/nss_pryke_020411.html/)

Well, there is nothing like a little competition (from Chinese) that will give a little boost to the NASA agenda...

BTW, what are Europa's specs?

if i recall nasa has already sent a probe to europa..it arrives 2006...plus they have sent one to titan...that arrives in 2004....thats got to be awesome...i was reading up on titan...and they reckon...this planet is a real candidate...4 holding the olympic games...u can jump upto 100feet...lad softly...do untold summersaults...throw...anything upto limited metres...thats my kind of holiday...anyway my question is....europa...could harbour life...well very simple creatures....but what happens...when the sun starts to swell....this place will basically thaw out...and the conditions will start 2 be right to give of all the right stuff....this place could become a new earth...our new home...4 a couple of million years b4 the sun calls it a day.

Has anyone found a sun the size of Jupiter?

From Wikipedia.com The on-line encylopedia

http://www.wikipedia.com/upload/europa_thumb.jpg

Data for Europa:


Discovery: January 7, 1610 by Galileo Galilei
Diameter: 3,138 km
Surface Area: 3.1×107 km2
Mass: 4.8×1022 kg (0.0083021 times Earth's mass)
Surface Gravity (Earth = 1): 0.135
Mean Distance from Jupiter: 670,900 km (9.5 Jupiter radii)
Mean Distance from Sun: 5.203 AU
Orbital period: 3.551181 days
Rotational period: 3.551181 days
Density: 3.01 g/cm3
Orbit Eccentricity: 0.009
Orbit Inclination: 0.470°
Orbit Speed: 13.74 km/s
Escape velocity: 2.02 km/s
Visual Albedo: 0.64
Surface Composition: Water Ice

Europa is about 3,160 kilometers (1,950 miles) in diameter, or about the size of Earth's moon.
Europa is somewhat similar in bulk composition to the terrestrial planets, being primarily composed of silicate rock. It has an outer layer of water ice thought to be around 100 km thick, and recent magnetic field data from the Galileo probe indicate that Europa has a layered internal structure perhaps with a small metallic iron core.

The smoothness and markings visible on Europa's surface strongly resemble that of [sea ice]? on Earth, and it is thought that under Europa's surface there is a layer of liquid water kept warm by tidally generated heat. The surface of Europa is 110 K at the equator and only 50 K at the poles, however, so water ice on the moon's surface is as hard as rock.

Comparisons of Voyager and Galileo probe photos suggest that Europa's crust rotates no faster than once every 10,000 years relative to its interior.

Recent observations by the Hubble space telescope reveal that Europa has a very tenuous atmosphere (10-11 bar surface pressure) composed of oxygen. Of the 61 moons in the solar system only five others (Io, Callisto, Ganymede?, Titan and Triton) are known to have atmospheres.

Galileo has found that Europa has a weak magnetic field (about 1/4 of the strength of Ganymede's and similar to Callisto's), and, most interestingly, it varies periodically as it passes through Jupiter's massive magnetic field. This is very strong evidence that there is a conducting material beneath Europa's surface, most likely a salty ocean.

Europa has bacteriological life.
Pretty sure about it...

No evidence yet though... we need to wait a little bit..

Love,
Nelson

Looking for Life in All the Right Places

Tuesday, April 9:
Hundreds of scientists fill the darkened meeting room while images of the largest and smallest structures in the universe appear before them. Leading experts from diverse scientific disciplines challenge the assembled crowd to explain the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth and beyond. Physicists, geologists, chemists, biologists, and astronomers are sharing research, crossing the traditional boundaries of their disciplines to seek answers to three questions:
: What is the history of life?
: What is the future of life?
: Are we alone?

For the rest of the article:*here* (http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_devore_astrobio_020418.html/)