NASA is planning something big, and that is to land on Jupiter's glacier moon, Europa. The tiny moon is said to be one of the few places life could be found beyond Earth.
In February, NASA announced plans to use a spacecraft in the Europa multiple flyby mission to orbit Jupiter alongside taking frequent passes on Europa to get a better look at the moon's surface. However, the space agency failed to mention that plans were in the pipeline to land on the surface.
Placing a lander on Europa will allow for us to find out if the moon is habitable. Scientists believe Europa is not just an icy moon, but one with water below the surface that could be home to alien life. Furthermore, they also believe the moon is home to more water than what is available on Earth.
Due to the icy exterior, a lander would not be able to dive below the surface. Still, it could collect samples from the ice.
"I told them to do whatever it takes,"says Rep. John Culberson of Texas (R), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee with oversight of NASA's budget. "All of humanity is going to want to know what's under the ice."
While the plan sounds great on paper, the space agency has yet to reveal how it aims to get a lander on the surface. Furthermore, we have no idea of the type of lander that will be used on this mission, or even when everything will commence.
There have been several plans to a probe to go beyond the ice, but such machines have yet to become reality. Plans in the past include tiny robots or a squid-like looking robot to be used as a means to venture below the ice. However, these plans have all been placed on the back burner.
The proposed mission will cost NASA $2 billion. If it is successful, we can be sure more missions of this magnitude will take place.
