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Short Wave

Europa Clipper And The Search For Life In Space

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.76K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2024

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

NASA's Europa Clipper mission launched Monday, beginning its years-long journey to the distant icy moon it's named after. This mission is designed to tell scientists more about the structure, the interior and the habitability of Europa, one of the four large moons of Jupiter. Host Regina G. Barber talks with astrobiologist and friend of the show Mike Wong about why their mutual love for this fascinating moon and what it means for the search for life outside of Earth. Plus, they talk about other icy moons that may also have the trifecta of ingredients needed to sustain life: liquid water, specific elements and an energy source.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:09.0

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0:13.6

Visit NPR.org slash elections.

0:19.6

You're listening to Shortwave

0:22.4

from NPR.

0:25.4

Hey Short Waivers, Regina Barbara here

0:27.1

with a look at NASA's mission to my absolute favorite moon

0:30.0

in the solar system, Europa.

0:32.0

It's one of Jupiter's moons. So Europa is mostly made of ice on its

0:36.8

surface, so it's actually very reflective. It's mostly sort of white. That's astrobiologist and friend of the show Mike Wong. But if you zoom in there

0:46.2

are these red streaks, these cracks on its icy surface where it seems like it's been

0:52.3

contaminated with some kind of material, like reddish or dirty brown or something like that.

0:58.0

We think that some of the material from inside Europos ocean has come up to the surface at these cracks and then has been

1:06.8

bombarded by radiation from Jupiter's magnetosphere and that radiation then turns that material into this kind of reddish, brownish color.

1:17.0

We talked to Mike about the Europa Clipper Mission, which launched Monday.

1:21.0

Three, two, one, ignition. And list off. It won't get to Jupiter until

1:30.0

spring of 2030. After that, we'll know whether Clipper achieved its goals to

1:34.2

understand more about this moon, its structure, how thick its ocean is, and the big

1:38.7

one to figure out whether it could sustain life.

1:43.0

It's for that reason,

1:45.0

the possibility that there could be some form of life on Europa

1:48.0

that Mike is obsessed with the moon and this mission.

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