Jupiter in space agencies' sights

Jupiter in space agencies' sights

news.bbc.co.uk

Nasa and the European Space Agency have decided to forge ahead with an ambitious plan to send a probe to the Jupiter system and its icy moon Europa.

The proposal could be the agencies' next "flagship" endeavour, to follow on from the successful Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system.

Officials had been considering the Jupiter mission along with a venture to Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I think NASA openly stated that Europha has water under it's 2km ice surface?

They wanted to puncture the ice with the probe to see what's under there. Because at our deepest, coldest oceans, there is life that lives near the heat from small underwater volcanos...

Which they believe it may have.



news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

And something I've been wanting to say... since the ridiculous RIDICULOUS stimulus pork package that just got pushed through I don't see how ANYONE can say with a straight face it's not cost prohibitive to send these missions out.

I get excited for these missions and then get depressed when I realize if it happens it won't arrive there til like 2012 or something.

spin off.
what would be ridiculous is to not look to the future.

Excusing our future needs because a couple of hundred rich powerful ()*^(&*^ just managed to perform the greatest single heist in history isn't an excuse.

I'm glad to see that NASA is finally going to see whats under Europa's icy crust. I would love to see the day they discover life, if any, in its oceans.