Europa Clipper: A Mission to Explore Ocean World Habitability Vol I

Europa, one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Early observations revealed its bright, icy surface, sparking curiosity about the details of its composition. NASA’s Pioneer and Voyager missions provided the first close-up images hinting at a subsurface ocean beneath the ice. Additional evidence was supplied by the Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s. More recent observations have strengthened the idea that Europa’s putative subsurface ocean may harbor the conditions conducive for biological activity. These discoveries have made Europa a prime target for astrobiological exploration, and NASA’s Europa Clipper mission was designated to investigate Europa’s habitability. This open-access Topical Collection serves as the primary reference for the mission’s science objectives, the instruments used to achieve them, the spacecraft carrying and operating the payload, and the overall mission design. This book is part of a set of two volumes on the Europa Clipper mission, featuring the review articles on the mission’s science and instruments. Reprinted from Space Science Reviews, Topical Collection: Europa Clipper: A Mission to Explore Ocean World Habitability. Europa, one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Early observations revealed its bright, icy surface, sparking curiosity about the details of its composition. NASA’s Pioneer and Voyager missions provided the first close-up images hinting at a subsurface ocean beneath the ice. Additional evidence was supplied by the Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s. More recent observations have strengthened the idea that Europa’s putative subsurface ocean may harbor the conditions conducive for biological activity. These discoveries have made Europa a prime target for astrobiological exploration, and NASA’s Europa Clipper mission was designated to investigate Europa’s habitability. This open-access Topical Collection serves as the primary reference for the mission’s science objectives, the instruments used to achieve them, the spacecraft carrying and operating the payload, and the overall mission design. This book is part of a set of two volumes on the Europa Clipper mission, featuring the review articles on the mission’s science and instruments. Reprinted from Space Science Reviews, Topical Collection: Europa Clipper: A Mission to Explore Ocean World Habitability.