NASA Is Testing A Buoyant Rover For Possible Europa Mission …
Europa continues to amaze and tantalize scientists. Who would have thought we would find a planet, or even a moon for that matter that possibly has more water on it that Earth itself?
Then on top of that, we find because of the gravity pull on Europa from Jupiter, much of it could even be liquid. And could that mean life on Jupiter’s moon?
But it is still cold out there and the surface is frozen. So how do we explore an ocean planet that’s frozen on the surface?
Easy … (or should that be in quotes to show sarcasm) … we develop a Rover like we sent to Mars, except instead of crawling around on the surface, we make it a buoyant rover so it can crawl around under the ice once submerged!
Check out the video below and see if you don’t agree, this is thinking outside the box!
http://www.iflscience.com/space/nasa-tests-buoyant-rover-could-explore-europas-ocean
If that’s not enough info, check out the IFL Science article …
NASA Tests Buoyant Rover That Could Explore Europa’s Ocean
September 30, 2015 | by Jonathan O’Callaghan
How do you solve a problem like Europa? We are almost certain there is a vast and potentially habitable ocean of water beneath the icy crust of this moon of Jupiter, but actually getting there and exploring it poses a problem. NASA’s latest concept vehicle, though, might be a partial solution.
A team of scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been testing a buoyant rover, called the Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration (BRUIE), that can drive “upside down” on ice. When placed in water beneath an ice shelf, the rover floats to the top, and then uses two wheels to drive on the underside of the ice “ceiling.” A suite of cameras, lights, and instruments can then be used to study the water below.
In a video [the one above], NASA explains how it took the rover to the thick ice shelf of the Arctic, specifically to Barrow, at the northernmost point of Alaska. This is thought to be a good analogue for Europa, with the vast ocean and thick ice mimicking what the moon could look like beneath its surface.
…… It’s unlikely such a rover will see the bed of Europa’s ocean, which could be tens to hundreds of miles deep. But the instruments on board would be able to observe what happens at the point where the water meets the ice – and probe partially into the depths.
Mars is cool. Europa is better. Shown is an artist’s impression of its underground ocean. NASA.
To read the whole article, see IFL Science
Video Source: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory via YouTube
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