Recorded May 22, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Robert Pappalardo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jupiter's moon Europa may be a habitable world, containing the “ingredients” necessary for life within its ocean. Data from NASA’s earlier Galileo mission suggest that a global salty ocean exists beneath the icy surface. Tides have broken that floating ice shell to create impressive ridges, bands, and chaotic terrains. The Europa Clipper mission will explore Europa with a suite of instruments, through multiple close flybys from Jupiter orbit, examining the moon’s ice shell, ocean, and geology. And it will search for current activity –including plumes that emerge from surface cracks. Dr. Pappalardo, the mission's Project Scientist, summarizes our understanding of Europa and the and status and promise of the Europa Clipper.