NASA issued a call for proposals on science instruments which could be transported over a forthcoming mission to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The instruments should be able to fit inside a spacecraft that would either orbit or take multiple flybys over the icy moon.
NASA’s Announcement of Opportunity (AO) said the chosen instruments also could resolve vital questions regarding Europa, besides an attempt to find life outside Earth.
"The possibility of life on Europa is a motivating force for scientists and engineers around the world," John Grunsfeld, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate associate administrator, said in a statement. "This solicitation will select instruments which may provide a big leap in our search to answer the question: are we alone in the universe?"
The agency’s initial selection of around 20 proposals will be made by April 2015. Afterward, an estimate of $25 million will be given to selected proposals, to move ahead with formulating and developing the instrument as part of the initial concept study.
Following a thorough review of the reports from selectees, NASA officials will choose around eight instruments that would be constructed for science and flight operations. The instruments will be used to perform scientific investigations of high priority, those that would tackle the science goals for moon exploration defined in the Planetary Decadal Survey of the National Resource Council (NRC).
According to the survey, an impending mission to Jupiter's moon is one of NASA’s highest priority pursuits, with five important objectives at hand.
Curt Niebur, who is an Outer Planets Program scientist at NASA’s Washington headquarters, said in a statement that the proposals should respond to one or more objectives of the program.
"Plans could be adjusted to programmatic decisions made by NASA in the future," said Niebur.
NASA likewise reminds that any possible mission to the icy moon should take high levels of radiation into consideration, requiring exceptional protection for the spacecraft and any instruments onboard. The spacecraft should also meet the requirements for planetary protection, which are meant to protect the possibly habitable ocean of Europa.
Said requirements are stern and include assuring that organisms from Earth aren't accidentally seeded into the ocean of Europa, because previous scientific studies indicated the presence of liquid water ocean situated below the icy crust of the Moon. The ocean has more liquid water than all of the Earth's oceans combined.
Meanwhile, NRC suggested that NASA tries to minimize the cope and cost of the mission to icy moon Europa, while the agency remains in the planning stage yet. Deadline for proposal submissions is on October 17. Interested parties can check out the AO here.
