Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Credit: NASA
Jupiter’s moon Europa has a massive subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust and everyone wants to know: could it support life? Researchers at UH Mānoa have been awarded $1.8 million by NASA to predict where the ocean might be accessible for study. The team will gather data using Europa Clipper, a NASA spacecraft launched in October and set to arrive at Europa in six years. The team is hoping to find areas where the moon’s liquid ocean is exposed at the surface, or actively erupting into space through plumes of vapor and ice.