Before NASA’s Europa Clipper mission takes off to investigate and see what kind of outlook a future lander would have, scientists need to know how deep a probe would have to reach in order to have some chance at discovering life, if it exists. Planetary research scientist Emily Costello of the University of Hawaii at Manoa has an idea.
“Because Europa is bombarded by radiation captured by Jupiter and because it is tidally locked, it runs into radiation as it orbits around Jupiter,” Costello tells SYFY WIRE. “The most intense radiation is on the leading hemisphere around the equator. At higher latitudes the radiation is less intense. Less intense radiation means shallower preservation of possible biosignatures.”