Tag Archives: Clipper

Europa Clipper Presents a Distinct View of 3I/ATLAS

Posted on by
Reply

Utilizing the Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (UVS) instrument onboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, scientists have made significant observations of 3I/ATLAS. This interstellar object is the third and only confirmed of its kind to have been detected entering our solar system from beyond it. While many telescopes on Earth and Mars struggled to track such interstellar visitors due to their proximity to the Sun, Europa Clipper was able to gather data from a distinct position as it advanced towards Jupiter.

This composite image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was captured on November 6, 2025, by the UVS instrument aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft from a distance of around 164 million kilometers (103 million miles). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI.

Scheduled to launch in 2024 and reach the Jupiter system by 2030, Europa Clipper will orbit Jupiter and conduct 49 flybys of its icy moon, Europa.

The UVS instrument specializes in collecting ultraviolet light to analyze the composition of Europa’s atmospheric gases and the materials on its icy surface.

Dr. Curt Retherford, principal investigator for Europa-UVS and a research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, remarked, “This unexpected opportunity to observe another target on its journey to Jupiter has us very excited.”

“Our observations offer a distinctive and detailed view of the comet.”

Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, 3I/ATLAS was traveling at a heliocentric distance of 4.51 astronomical units (AU) with an eccentricity of 6.13 at that time.

Within a week of its discovery, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s analysts had determined its trajectory through the solar system.

The Europa Clipper team quickly identified that their spacecraft could view 3I/ATLAS in November 2025, especially after Earth-based observations were largely obstructed by the Sun’s position and Mars observations became optimal.

During this period, the spacecraft provided crucial data between the Mars observations in September and upcoming Earth-based exams.

With the comet’s trajectory aligning between Europa Clipper and the Sun, the UVS team was able to observe it from a distinctive angle.

Comets feature a dust tail that trails behind and a plasma tail that extends away from the Sun.

The Europa-UVS’s unique sunward perspective enabled a rare downstream view of the comet’s two tails, primarily observing from behind the tail and toward the comet’s core and coma.

“We anticipate that this new perspective, together with data from Earth-based assets and other spacecraft, will enhance our understanding of the tail’s shape,” stated Dr. Thomas Greathouse, co-principal investigator for the Europa-UVS study.

The UVS instrument identified signatures associated with oxygen, hydrogen, and dust, reinforcing evidence of significant outgassing activity from 3I/ATLAS shortly after its closest approach to the Sun.

“Europa-UVS excels at measuring fundamental transitions of atoms and molecules,” remarked Dr. Retherford.

“We can observe gas being expelled from the comet, along with water molecules splitting into hydrogen and oxygen atoms.”

This capability allows Europa Clipper to closely analyze and measure these atomic species, offering deeper insights into the comet’s processes and composition.

“By understanding the chemical makeup of comets and how readily these gases are ejected, we can better comprehend their origins and evolution as they traverse from distant parts of the galaxy to our solar system,” explained Dr. Tracy Becker, co-principal investigator for Europa and UVS, also at the Southwest Research Institute.

“What chemical processes occur? How can we grasp the origins of comets within our solar system?”

“Are these processes akin to our theories about the formation of the solar system? That’s a key question.”

Source: www.sci.news

Equipment deployed by NASA’s European Clipper spacecraft

Posted on by
Reply

NASA’s European Clipper, the largest spacecraft the agency has ever developed for a planetary mission, is already 20 million kilometers (13 million miles) from Earth.

An artist’s concept for NASA’s Europa Clipper shows the spacecraft silhouetted on the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, with the magnetometer boom fully deployed on top and the antenna for the radar instrument pointing out from the solar array. It’s growing. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Europa Clipper launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 14, 2024.

The spacecraft is hurtling toward the Sun at 35 kilometers per second (22 miles per second).

Europa Clipper will travel 2.9 billion kilometers (1.8 billion miles) to reach Jupiter in 2030 and begin a series of 49 flybys in 2031, collecting data using an array of instruments. , will tell scientists whether the icy moon and its interior ocean influenced the icy moons. Conditions necessary for life to exist.

For now, the information mission teams are receiving from the spacecraft is strictly engineering data, telling them how the hardware is working.

Immediately after launch, Europa Clipper deployed a giant solar array extending the length of a basketball court.

Next on the list was the magnetometer boom, which unwound from a canister attached to the spacecraft body and stretched 8.5 meters (28 feet) in length.

To ensure that all boom deployments went well, the team used data from three magnetometer sensors.

Once the spacecraft reaches Jupiter, these sensors will measure Europa’s surrounding magnetic field, confirming the existence of an ocean believed to lie beneath the moon’s icy crust, and telling scientists about its depth and salinity. I’ll let you know.

After the magnetometer, the spacecraft deployed several antennas for radar instruments.

Four high-frequency antennas extend laterally from the solar array, forming what appear to be two long poles, each 17.6 m (57.7 ft) long.

Eight rectangular very high frequency antennas, each 2.76 m (9 ft) long, were also deployed, two on each of the two solar arrays.

“This is an exciting time for the spacecraft to complete these important deployments,” said Jordan Evans, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and project manager for Europa Clipper.

“Most of what the team is focused on right now is understanding the small, interesting things in the data that help us understand the behavior of the spacecraft on a deeper level. It’s really good to see that. That’s it.”

The remaining seven devices will be powered on and off throughout December and January so engineers can check their health.

Some instruments, including visible imagers and gas and dust mass spectrometers, will remain under protective covers for the next three years or so to prevent potential damage from the Sun while Europa Clipper was in the inner solar system. I plan to make it.

Once all equipment and engineering subsystems are checked out, the mission team will shift its focus to Mars.

On March 1, 2025, Europa Clipper will reach Mars’ orbit and begin orbiting Mars, using Mars’ gravity to gain speed.

The mission navigator has already completed one course correction maneuver to keep the spacecraft on the correct course as planned.

On Mars, as a test run, the rover’s thermal imager will be turned on to take multicolor images of Mars.

They also plan to collect data on the radar equipment so engineers can verify that it is working as expected.

The spacecraft is scheduled to perform another gravity assist in December 2026 and swoop down to Earth before making the remainder of its long journey to the Jupiter system.

At that time, the magnetometer measures the Earth’s magnetic field and calibrates the instrument.

Source: www.sci.news

NASA launches Europa Clipper spacecraft towards Jupiter’s icy moons

Posted on by
Reply

Europa Clipper launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 14, 2024 at 12:06 pm EDT, beginning a six-year journey to Jupiter's icy moon Europa. The spacecraft will fly 49 times, approaching as close as 25 kilometers. Searching for the ingredients of life below the surface (16 miles).

Europa Clipper will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 14, 2024 at 12:06 pm EDT. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

european clipper This is the largest spacecraft ever built by NASA for a planetary mission.

Expanding the giant solar array, the spacecraft could span the length of a basketball court (30.5 meters, or 100 feet, end to end).

“We congratulate the European Clipper team as it begins its first journey to the ocean world beyond Earth,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

“NASA is a world leader in exploration and discovery, and the Europa Clipper mission is no exception.”

“By exploring the unknown, Europa Clipper will help us better understand whether there is potential for life not only within our solar system, but also on the billions of moons and planets outside the sun. .”

“We couldn't be more excited about the incredible and unprecedented science that NASA's European Clipper mission will bring for generations to come,” said Nikki Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. states.

“All of NASA's science is interconnected, and Europa Clipper's scientific discoveries will help other missions in Jupiter exploration, including Juno, Galileo, and Voyager, explore the possibility of inhabited planets beyond our home planet. We will build on the legacy we have created as we explore possible worlds.”

“We are very happy to be able to send Europa Clipper to explore a potentially habitable ocean world, thanks to all of our colleagues and partners who have worked so hard to date.” said Dr. Laurie Leshin, Director of NASA's Jet Division. Promotion Institute.

“The Europa Clipper will undoubtedly deliver amazing science. It is always bittersweet to send something we have worked so hard on for so many years on its long journey, but this amazing team We know that spacecraft will expand our knowledge of our solar system and provide inspiration for future exploration.”

“As Europa Clipper embarks on its journey, I will reflect on the countless dedications, innovations, and teamwork that made this moment possible,” said Europa Clipper project manager, also at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Jordan Evans said.

“This launch is more than just the next chapter in solar system exploration. It is a journey into another ocean, driven by our common curiosity and the quest to answer the question 'Are we alone?' A leap forward to uncover the mysteries of the world. ”

The journey to Jupiter will be a long 2.9 billion kilometers (1.8 billion miles), and instead of heading straight there, Europa Clipper will orbit Mars and then Earth, speeding past it.

The spacecraft is scheduled to begin orbiting Jupiter in April 2030 and begin its 49 science-focused flybys of Europa in 2031 while orbiting the gas giant.

This orbit is designed to take full advantage of the science Europa Clipper can perform and minimize exposure to Jupiter's notoriously intense radiation.

Scientists on the mission will be able to “see” how thick Europa's ice shell is and gain a deeper understanding of the vast ocean beneath.

They will examine surface material that may have come up from below, look for fingerprints of organic compounds that form the building blocks of life, and sample gases emitted by the moon for evidence of habitability. I will.

They will analyze the results and look for signs of a water world that could support life beneath the moon's frozen shell.

“It's important for us to picture what that alien ocean is like, the chemistry and biochemistry that might be going on there,” said Europa Clipper team member said Dr. Morgan Cable, an astrobiologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Its research centers on searching for the types of salts, ices, and organic materials that make up the main ingredients of a habitable world.

This is where an imager called MISE (Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa) comes into play.

Operating in the infrared, the spacecraft's MISE splits the reflected light into different wavelengths to identify the corresponding atoms and molecules.

The mission will also use an instrument called E-THEMIS (European Thermal Emission Imaging System), which also operates in infrared, to explore potential sites near Europa's surface where plumes could bring deep-sea material closer to the surface. Attempt to identify hotspots.

The task of the EIS (Europa Imaging System) is to take clear, detailed pictures of Europa's surface using both narrow-image and wide-image cameras.

“EIS imagers will provide incredibly high-resolution images to understand how Europa's surface continues to evolve and change,” said Dr. Cable.

NASA's Cassini mission has discovered giant plumes of water vapor spewing from jets near the south pole of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus.

Europa may also emit a misty column of water drawn from the ocean or from reservoirs within its shell.

The Europa Clipper's instrument, called Europa-UVS (Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph), can explore the plume and study any material that could be ejected into space.

Regardless of whether Europa has a plume or not, the spacecraft will carry two instruments to analyze small amounts of gas and dust particles ejected from the moon's surface by collisions with micrometeorites and high-energy particles. It has been. MASPEX (MAss SPECtrometer for Planetary Exploration/Europa) and SUDA (Surface Dust Analyzer).

These instruments capture small pieces of material emitted from surfaces and turn them into charged particles that reveal their composition.

“The spacecraft will study the gases and grains emitted by Europa by sticking out its tongue, tasting the grains, and inhaling those gases,” Dr. Cable said.

The mission will also explore Europa's external and internal structures in a variety of ways. That's because both structures have far-reaching implications for the moon's habitability.

To gain insight into the thickness of ice shells and the presence of oceans, as well as their depth and salinity, the mission will measure the moon's induced magnetic field with the ECM (European Clipper Magnetometer) and use that data to analyze currents from flowing charged particles. We plan to combine it with the measured values ​​of . Around Europa — Data provided by PIMS (Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding).

In addition, mission scientists will use REASON (European Assessment and Near-Surface Sounding Radar), which monitors up to 18 miles (29 km) away, to detect every detail from the presence of ocean to ice structure and topography. I plan to investigate. several miles) into the shell. itself a potentially habitable environment.

Measuring the changes that Europa's gravity causes in radio signals should help determine the thickness of the ice and the depth of the ocean.

“Non-ice material on the surface can migrate into deep internal pockets of brine within the ice shell,” said Dr. Steve Vance, a member of the European Clipper team and an astrobiologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“Some may be large enough to be considered lakes, or at least ponds.”

“Using the collected data to perform large-scale computer modeling of Europa's internal structure, we may be able to uncover the ocean's composition and estimate its temperature profile.”

“Whatever the situation, the discovery will open a new chapter in the search for extraterrestrial life.”

“The European Clipper is almost certain to raise as many questions as it answers, if not more, in a completely different class than we have been thinking about for the past 25 years.”

_____

This article is based on a press release provided by NASA.

Source: www.sci.news

European Clipper mission to Jupiter’s icy moons launched by NASA

Posted on by
Reply

For decades, Jupiter’s icy moons have been considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life. Europa, thought to have an underground ocean and a potentially habitable environment, has long been considered an attractive target in our cosmic backyard.

Now humans are ready to take a closer look at Jupiter’s fourth largest moon.

NASA is scheduled to launch a new robotic mission to Jupiter as soon as noon Monday. The probe, named Europa Clipper, is the largest spacecraft the company has ever built for a planetary science mission.

Assuming no further launch delays, Europa Clipper is scheduled to lift off Monday at 12:06 pm ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday, but NASA was forced to cancel due to Hurricane Milton, which made landfall late Wednesday near Siesta Key along Florida’s west coast. Kennedy Space Center was closed as the storm battered the state, bringing high winds and heavy rain to much of the Florida peninsula.

The delay was a minor setback in a mission that took more than a decade to plan and develop.

“It feels surreal,” said Jordan Evans, mission project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “There were battles at every level, from the early stages of the initial concept of the mission, to getting approval, passing each milestone and overcoming various problems along the way. At this point, the team was ready. It’s incredible to watch.”

Europa Clipper is not embarking on a life-detecting mission. Rather, they will study the composition of the icy moon, as well as its internal structure and geology. This information could help scientists determine whether Europa currently has the right ingredients to support life, or whether they existed at some point.

“We’re looking for a habitable environment,” said Bonnie Blatty, mission deputy project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We believe that liquid water is a necessity for life, and that it exists. Whether through active geology or something else, we need the right chemistry to act like a battery to propel life. It’s energy.”Parallel.”

Blatty said there is strong scientific evidence that a vast ocean lurks beneath the moon’s icy surface. In fact, Europa’s interior ocean is estimated to be twice the volume of all of Earth’s oceans combined, according to NASA.

A mosaic image of Jupiter’s moon Europa acquired by a camera aboard NASA’s Galileo spacecraft on November 25, 1999.
NASA

Europa Clipper is scheduled to enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2030 after a six-year, 1.8 billion mile journey.

The 49 flybys of the moon over four years will provide researchers with new insights.

“We’ll definitely be able to tell how thick the ice crust is and whether there are small ponds there,” Blatty said. “As for the ocean, I think we will someday find out how deep it is.”

To make these observations, the spacecraft will fly through a harsh radiation environment created by Jupiter’s massive magnetic field, which NASA says is about 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s.

“If we were to go into orbit around Europe and do research, even the most radiation-resistant electronic equipment would likely be destroyed by radiation within a month or two,” Evans said. said.

Instead, mission managers developed a way for the probe to orbit Jupiter in harmony with the icy moon. This is a kind of cosmic duet that could help protect equipment from prolonged exposure to harsh radiation.

“So every six times Europa orbits Jupiter, or every 21 days, we’ll be at a precise position in space, right next to Europa,” Evans said. “And because each flyby will be different, we will be able to cover almost the entire world’s moon.”

However, the team will need to exercise patience. Before reaching Jupiter, the spacecraft will first pass Mars and then circle Earth again, using the gravity of both planets to blast it deep into space.

Europa was discovered in 1610 by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. This icy object is the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 known moons.

Several space probes have previously observed Europa, including NASA’s Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and Galileo missions, but this will be NASA’s first dedicated mission to the Moon, and will be the first mission for NASA to go beyond Earth. This will be my first time researching the ocean world.

This milestone has been a long time coming for Blatty, who wrote a paper on Europa as a graduate student at Cornell University in the 1980s.

“I’ve actually only been in this role for two and a half years. I didn’t start it,” she said. “But I’m so happy to be back to something so near and dear to my heart. It’s truly a dream.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Europa Clipper: NASA’s Mission to Jupiter’s Moons Explores Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

Posted on by
Reply

Artist’s impression of the European Clipper near its namesake moon

NASA

Instruments aboard a NASA spacecraft scheduled to launch to Europe later this year could directly detect cellular material ejected from Jupiter’s icy moons, increasing the chances of finding life.

Europa is of scientific interest because researchers believe there is a vast saltwater ocean beneath its thick icy shell. It is also surrounded by an orbiting blanket of ice grains and dust, believed to be the remains of material kicked up after the meteorite struck.

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft was launched in October and is scheduled to arrive at its destination in 2030, flying close to the moon but not landing on it. Ten experiments will be carried out aimed at studying Europa’s internal structure, including its ocean chemistry and potential habitability for extraterrestrial life.

One of these is the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA), a type of instrument known as a mass spectrometer. The mission will collect material ejected from the moon and reveal its chemical composition, including potential organic molecules and salts.

SUDA was not designed to look for signs of life in Europe, but now Frank Postberg and his colleagues at Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin, who are working on the device, have shown that it can detect fragments of cellular material, potentially providing evidence of modern life.

“If life on Europa follows the same principle of having membranes and DNA made from amino acids… [those chemicals] “It will be the deciding blow of my life,” he says.

“This is an interesting result because these ice grains hit the instruments in space at speeds of 4 to 6 kilometers per second,” say team members. Fabian Krenner at the University of Washington. “We showed that we can still identify cellular material.”

These extreme velocities cause particles to collide with SUDA with high kinetic energy, breaking large molecular structures into smaller component parts for analysis. To simulate this kinetic energy, the team shot water droplets with a laser. I put the following sample into water. Sphingopyxis alascensisa bacterium known to survive in frigid marine environments, making it a potential alternative to life on Europa.

When the laser hits the droplet, it breaks up into tiny droplets that hit the SUDA detector. The researchers discovered that they could distinguish between fragmented cellular material, including fatty acids and amino acids, which are abundant in cell membranes.

“We have now simulated the presence of cells inside a single ice grain without any pretreatment, which may be a valid case for what we see in Europe,” Klenner said. To tell. The next step, he says, is to repeat the experiment using different types of cell cultures.

Murti Gudipati He works on SUDA at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., but is not involved in the research. The results should reflect what could happen to the spacecraft, he said. Watch while on duty.

But the ability to clearly distinguish cellular material from other organic molecules and salts depends on the specific composition of the ice grains released from Europa, he says. If SUDA detects many other complex organic molecules and salts mixed in with the ice grains, it may be difficult for researchers to reliably detect cellular material, Gudipati says.

the current, NASA says When asked, “Europa Clipper is not a life-detecting mission. Its primary science goal is to determine whether there is a place beneath Europa’s surface where life could exist.” new scientist The agency was unable to respond prior to publication about whether the new research changes the mission’s goals.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Europa Clipper Set to Launch to Jupiter in 2024 for Exploration of Icy Moons

Posted on by
Reply

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Gregory M. M. Weigand

NASA’s European Clipper mission will launch in October 2024 and head to Jupiter’s moon Europa, where it will search for signs that the icy moon may be suitable for life.

The spacecraft will not be orbiting Europa when it arrives in 2030, but will instead orbit Jupiter in a way that will allow it to repeatedly pass the moon at a distance of nearly 25 kilometers from the planet’s surface.

“We’re going to get a really comprehensive assessment of what Europa is like,” he says. jennifer scully at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Of the moon’s many mysteries, perhaps the most important are the structure of its internal oceans and whether it is habitable. The Clipper won’t be able to search for life itself, but it will set the stage for possible future missions.

topic:

  • space exploration/
  • 2024 News Preview

Source: www.newscientist.com

Webb’s fresh perspective on supernovae, laser connections between space stations, and the Europa Clipper mission

Posted on by
Reply

New high-definition images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) reveal intricate details of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), which is struck by a gas outlet by a star before exploding. It shows an expanding shell of matter. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danny Milisavljevic (Purdue University), Ilse De Looze (UGent), Tea Temim (Princeton University)

NASAWebb Space Telescope observes newly exploded star…

The team prepares to install the moon rocket hardware…

And we completed NASA’s first bidirectional end-to-end laser relay system…

Some of the stories we want to share with you – this week at NASA!

Watch the web’s new high-definition exploded stars

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently captured this new image of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. This image, taken with Webb’s near-infrared camera, shows the star’s explosion at a resolution previously unattainable at these wavelengths, giving astronomers a hint at the dynamic processes occurring. . It’s inside a supernova remnant.

NASA’s Artemis II mission is making final preparations for its SLS rocket at Kennedy Space Center. The Orion stage adapter, a critical component that connects Orion to his SLS, recently underwent critical installation work on its diaphragm at Marshall Space Flight Center. This adapter plays an important role in preventing hydrogen gas buildup and ensuring safety during launch.Credit: NASA/Sam Lott

Team prepares to assemble moon rocket and spacecraft connectors

A team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center recently flipped the Orion stage adapter over and prepared the adapter for diaphragm installation.

The stage adapter connects the Orion spacecraft to the Space Launch System rocket’s intermediate cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). The diaphragm helps prevent highly flammable hydrogen gas, which could leak from the rocket’s propellant tanks, from accumulating beneath Orion and its crew before and during launch.

NASA’s ILLUMA-T payload communicates with the LCRD via laser signals.Credit: NASA/Dave Ryan

Space station laser communication terminal achieves first link

NASA’s LCRD and the new space station technology experiment ILLUMA-T successfully exchanged data for the first time, establishing the first laser link between ILLUMA-T and an on-orbit laser relay system. LCRD and his ILLUMA-T teamed up to complete NASA’s first bidirectional end-to-end laser relay system.

Laser communications uses infrared light rather than traditional radio waves to send and receive signals, allowing spacecraft to pack more data into each transmission.

The “Message in a Bottle” campaign offers anyone the opportunity to stencil their name onto a microchip inscribed with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s “Mystery Praise: A Poem to Europe.” The chip will be mounted on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, bound for Jupiter and its moon Europa. Credit: NASA

Add your name to join the European Clipper Mission

The deadline to participate in NASA’s European Clipper mission’s Message in a Bottle campaign is 11:59 p.m. EST, December 31, 2023. You can join the mission and carve your name on his Clipper spacecraft as it travels and explores 1.8 billion miles of Europe. Jupitericy moon, Europa.

For more information, visit go.nasa.gov/MessageInABottle.

What’s happening this week at @NASA!

Source: scitechdaily.com