Europa's Ocean Contains Enough Oxygen To Support Life

The global ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa contains about twice the liquid water of all the Earth's oceans combined. New research suggests that there may be plenty of oxygen available in that ocean to support life, a hundred times more oxygen than previously estimated.

Source


This article doesn't come right out and say that there's life there, but it might as well. Granted we'd have to send probes there to break through the ice shell and verify the existance of life there. I've heard that there's a mission in the works for that and I can't wait!
Is anyone else excited about this? I've always been fascinated with the possibility of life on Europa and intrigued that we could soon find life so close to us. I'd imagine it could mean that the entire universe is teaming with life.


[edit on 8-10-2009 by FunSized]

I'm excited.

Line 2.



please read Warnings for one-line or short responses

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[edit on 12/10/09 by masqua]

NASA Timeline of events going forward

2016: Satellite orbits Europa to map the surface in detail and serve to relay future mission data from surface. Photographs endless ice fields, geysers of liquid, etc.

2020: Rover lands, photographs ice fields.

2023: Second rover lands in a different location, photographs more ice fields.

2028: NASA sends a stationary lander with chemistry lab that concludes the ice photographed by orbiting satellite, passing probes and two landers really is ice.

2033: NASA launches a probe with drill capable of reaching the sub-surface ocean and doing painfully basic tests to verify the water is potentially habitable - probe can't actually detect current life.

Probe crashes into the surface and explodes.

2035: Probe relaunched, water found to be potentially habitable. Results questioned due to contamination concerns.

2036: NASA abandons missions to Europa in favour of Titan.

2037: China lands humans on Europa, establishes colony, laughs.

Hi
great find glad you put this up
star and flag
with all the planets and moons that we know about. Europa is the only one so far that resembles and even may have the same elements as our own Earth.

WOW!!

thanks

Ocker

Originally posted by ocker
Hi
great find glad you put this up
star and flag
with all the planets and moons that we know about. Europa is the only one so far that resembles and even may have the same elements as our own Earth.

WOW!!

thanks

Ocker

Mmmm, not quite.

Its basically all water and ice.

Originally posted by Schmidt1989

Originally posted by ocker
Hi
great find glad you put this up
star and flag
with all the planets and moons that we know about. Europa is the only one so far that resembles and even may have the same elements as our own Earth.

WOW!!

thanks

Ocker

Mmmm, not quite.

Its basically all water and ice.

Not quite? Mmmm

Well it has an atmosphere and it contains oxygen scientists are not sure how how much but it is there. Ice shift proving warmer waters from tidal shifting.
The planet appears to be getting warming due to the gravitational pull of Jupiter.



Europa's is now considered to be the most likely location for other life in the Solar System.
Life on Europa could exist clustered around hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, or below the ocean floor, where endoliths are known to habitate on Earth

On Earth, wherever there is liquid water there is also life. Scientists have found life even under frozen lakes and in the super-heated waters around hot springs under the sea.

Ocker

reply to post by ocker


I know. You're speaking about extremophiles (spelling?) and thermophiles.

What I mean by not quite the same as earth, i mean a rocky crust.

They need to send something there prono!

A large lander that shoots like a rocket through the ice and into the liquid. The lander should then open to release a mobile heat-seeking device with camera to go straight to the vents!

To support life on earth that is.

what is the estimated travel time to Europa for a lunar probe?

also, if there is a possibility of sustaining life on Europa, there is also the question of is there an increased risk of Near-Moon Objects impacting (i.e. debris or objects orbiting within Jupiter's planetary rings) that would threaten stable inhabitation of the moon.

just something to think about...

[edit on 13-10-2009 by rugbyguitargod]

[edit on 13-10-2009 by rugbyguitargod]