Could life on our planet have its origins on Europa? Probably not, according to Chyba.
“Europa is as old as our solar system, but it’s probably too far, too deep inside Jupiter’s gravity well to have inoculated Earth with life-bearing debris.” Chyba emphasizes that all theories about life on Europa hinge on proof that a liquid body of water actually exists between the moon’s surface and its rocky core. “The point is to go there and find out,” Chyba says, noting that in three years NASA plans to launch the Europa Orbiter satellite that will use radar to detect the presence of large bodies of subsurface water. The Orbiter should reach Europa in 2008, and NASA hopes to follow that with a remote landing. “We’ll know in the next 10 years if there’s an ocean,” Chyba predicts. “If there is, Europa will be the site of a series of new space missions.
Related Questions
- Why can we all just appreciate life, nature, our wonderful planet and the beautiful people & creatures we share it with, instead of wasting time arguing Evolution v Creation?
- Could life on our planet have its origins on Europa? Probably not, according to Chyba.
- Would discovery of life on another planet destroy Christianity?
