Searching for Life on Europa? Going Under the Ice

We’re now learning that icy worlds seem to be the best places in Solar System where life could be hiding. Worlds like Europa and Enceladus, which have vast oceans of liquid water beneath a shell of water ice.
And just in the last year, astrobiologists announced that hardy forms of Earth life should be able to thrive in these oceans, feeding off hydrogen gas emanating from deep sea vents.
Clearly we need to explore these worlds, to go deep down beneath the ice to explore the ocean depths. But how do you drill through kilometers of ice to reach it?
Sign up to my weekly email newsletter:
www.universetoday.com/newsletter
Support us at: / universetoday
More stories at: www.universetoday.com/
Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday
Like us on Facebook: / universetoday
Google+ - plus.google.com/+universetoday/
Instagram - / universetoday
Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [e-mail]
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / / @karlathompson001
Chad Weber - [e-mail]
Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001
References:
www.nasa.gov/sites/default/fi...
www.nasa.gov/content/explorat...
www.apl.washington.edu/project...
www.indiegogo.com/projects/gl...
www.princeton.edu/~naomi/thes...
www.researchgate.net/figure/C...

[@oddarneroll]

Why isn't this first priority? There should be a law saying we at least need to use 30% of military budgets on interplanetary space missions.

[@frasercain]

Wait for the Europa Clipper, then we'll know what kind of a priority it is.

[@captainjackpugh6050]

Yes space related missions should be like among the priorities of the United States, along with education, national security, public health, public citizen income, etc. but space would still be more important than many of those. It would be like 2nd or 3rd.

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

We need to use at least 100% of military budget on interplanetary space missions.

[@threedoubles4827]

Maybe investing in missions to produce some antivirals would be more prudent, not to mention addressing antibiotic resistance. The dark ages are ahead.

[@Uhmu]

ESA should make it a priority, there aren't that many moons named after us.

[@p-mtc3900]

Yes, we are not doing good job. Its always waiting for NASA...

[@frasercain]

ESA had their own plans for a Europa orbiter (JUICE), but they'd pushed it back.

[@coweatsman]

Europa is named after a goddess, the same goddess Europe is named after. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(mythology)

[@ronschlorff7089]

Cool movie called Europa Report (ESA mission to land on Europa) made about 5 years ago, check it out!!

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@magnussandstrom1853 they are the experts!

[@suhelsayyed6475]

2030 is too far, how I wish we knew it by now

[@QuantumFluxable]

It isn't that long, only 12 years. 2004 Opportunity landed on Mars, and that doesn't seem like an eternity ago.

[@QuantumFluxable]

I just realized I can't math. 2004 would be 14 years ago *duh*

[@frasercain]

I know, Europa Clipper will give us a lot more info.

[@ronschlorff7089]

you look young, you should be alive then, all old the ones on here will be "dead as a door nails" then.

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

Frustrating, eh? Human life spans are way too short!

[@zapfanzapfan]

I just hope that the ice doesn't move and snap that little fiber optic cable...

[@frasercain]

That would definitely suck. Hopefully Europa Clipper will be able to provide a sense of how the ice shifts.

[@zapfanzapfan]

The lander may have to do the slightly counter intuitive thing of landing in the most boring spot they find, far from any cracks and other potential dangers.

[@johncgibson4720]

We need to detonate a thermal nuclear bomb to make the hole if no other options. This is very urgent matter to find whaliens before they are ready to conquer human.

[@justabob22]

It would be wireless

[@Mrbfgray]

justabob22 How? Sound waves maybe? The probes described here use a cable and there's good reason for that, we can't send radio (light of any frequency) thru ice.

[@massimookissed1023]

Whaliens.

[@frasercain]

Oh nice!

[@n-steam]

That's what people from Wales are called!

[@talibumbum5981]

With 7 eyes after they practically made contact with Tscherno..., uhm human technology. Don't dump nuclear waste in a planet wich may have life.

[@prairiebrewer6630]

Isn't it "Welsh"? Besides, I prefer Walien Jennings.

[@n-steam]

Welsh/Walian is the same difference as British/Briton

[@foxpup]

This sounds like a well thought-out plan. I hope they get to do it.

[@frasercain]

Me too. :-)

[@nqinadlamini]

Any civilization that might arise in these ice moons/planets, would probably not have astronomy. It is trippy to even imagine what might be a universe perspective for any possible beings living in such "closed" systems. Thank You

[@meesalikeu]

Nqina Dlamini i never thought of that but yr right what would their worldview be being enclosed? they might be aware of the outside world via vents and thin ice regions? no doubt they would be very surprized by something alien popping out of the ice ceiling.

[@davidrosner6267]

@@meesalikeu, any species that evolved in the ocean of an ice shell moon like Europe would be aquatic in nature and thus unlikely to use fire. An intelligent species may be like dolphins or octopuses on Earth. There is also no sunlight so photosynthesis would be impossible. Chemo-synthesis would form the foundation of their food-chain. If Europan organism have eyes, they may see in the infra-red and be bio-luminescent. They would need to develop tools that function in a low temperature aquatic environment if they ever developed any kind of technology.

[@erikswanson224]

If they were advanced enough, they would realize they were in a closed system and would be wondering what was above the ice.

[@firehazzard8497]

@@erikswanson224 And then would die if they go above towards the radiation, unless they have adapted to that.

[@AshtonGleckman]

Just recently found this channel and have been binging and learning tons already. Thank you for making these videos!

[@bjarnes.4423]

Europa Subs sounds just as awesome as Titan Helicopter! :)

[@frasercain]

Exactly, we clearly need a revote.

[@curiousborg6441]

Also: I want to be able to order them at my local sandwich shop.

[@off_Planet]

More so if you ask me. I don't know what the fuss is about with Titan to be honest. Sure, sure, geology is fun and all, and learning about athmospheres is great, too. But I doubt that any mission to Titan will amount to anything else than that. The place is so frickin cold, I find it very unlikely life could survive there. Even if Ammonia is a decent solvent, the energy to sustain life just simply isn't there. And even if there is life on Titan, I'd rather have our resources allocated to a mission to Europa with the possibilty of finding even complex life rather than single cells that need a few decades for reproduction.

[@bjarnes.4423]

+offPlanet the Ice moon missions are about finding life signatures, what I find so interesting about Titan is its Earth similarity. It has a Methane/Ethane Cycle like our Water Cycle, has a strong Atmosphere, and it is the only Planetary Body (Besides Earth and the Clouds of Venus), where you can survive without a Space suit, only VERY warm clothing with radioactive protection, and a Gas Mask. +Fraser Cain A revote between those two missions would be interesting

[@allisonjuno7654]

@@bjarnes.4423 its deserts are quite amazing too!

[@unvergebeneid]

Wow, that's one long playlist you got there this time, Fraser! 5 1/2 hours is more like a multi-day commitment than a KZbin playlist. Some of us have a job that doesn't involve getting paid for watching fascinating talks on space exploration! ;) No seriously though, I have my own "Talks" playlist and I just added them to that and now can't wait to get to them! :)

[@frasercain]

Yeah, I saw too many great longer talks to I put them in. Enjoy. :-)

[@thejaytheist8754]

This seems achievable within the next 20 years if we as a species put more effort into discoveries life's great mysteries and less into killing each other. Great video Fraser, it feels like space exploration is really starting to gather some steam and the discoveries in the coming decades will be amazing.

[@frasercain]

Thanks a lot, we had fun making it.

[@s-kazi940]

Honestly, I don't even want our species to infect and pollute the rest of space.

[@wombatlover2796]

Absolutely amazing, I love your channel.. You speak so well, and the information is spectacular!!!

[@dougmcguire3159]

Mr. Cain the content of your channel is outstanding and well presented. You also articulate well with a pleasant voice. Keep the great videos coming!

[@frasercain]

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[@Vorador666]

Awesome episode, I was hoping you would make one on that topic :)

[@pkmkbindianarmy1480]

Just Love this channel...best editing and visualization.thank you very much.

[@Locut0s]

It would be unbelievably exciting to see such a mission launched. Although the number of points of possible failure are so great it’s scary to even think about. But then taking risks is what we need to do if we want to grow as a species. One point I remember someone brought up somewhere before is how would you protect that ultra long optical cable? I would imagine that the ice would likely be a dynamic place, especially given the tidal gravity of Jupiter. A cable 5 to 10km long would be so unbelievably thin and the potential forces (if ‘geologically’ active) so huge that it could be snapped like nothing.

[@johnwolf7073]

0:36 WOW ! kilometers ?! i didnt realize that it was that deep !

[@frasercain]

Yup, super deep.

[@kimsannes3053]

Hey Fraser, this episode was really good. Thank you

[@frasercain]

Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@ahdkfknsbcienfnsk]

*Finally gets under the ice after so many years* *Instantly gets eaten by random creature*

[@quinnpritchard8947]

@SuperStarWhale funny reddit moment

[@lordebola9472]

I am really grateful I found out about your channel from Skylias stream on twitch. This is great!

[@frasercain]

Thanks a lot, welcome aboard!

[@The_SCPFoundation]

Soooo Fraser Cain, listen pal... I just worked a double shift 11pm-3pm and of course I'm burnt out like a brown dwarf right now. But u decide to post a 13 minute video and of course, noti squad can't wait to watch. So u and I need to talk about timing my dude. U can't be out here breaking a man's sleep with this awesomeness bruh 😂😂

[@frasercain]

I'm sorry, you knew my schedule. Fair warning, there's another show dropping same time on Thursday.

[@thatswhatithought6519]

Ha gayyy

[@thatswhatithought6519]

Ha double gayy

[@subhransubabu]

your documentary video is very much informative ... excellent work

[@mattvjmeasures]

I hope to still be around when we finally reach these intriguing bodies. If we find that these icy worlds are unfortunately sterile but are indeed capable of supporting hardy earth life would there be any moral problem with us seeding them with such life? Making life in our universe a muti-planetary (planet, moons) phenomena, albeit in a limited way, seems like a good idea to me, almost a moral obligation. Yes, I know there could be life out there somewhere but until we find it (or it finds us) shouldn't we be doing our bit to preserve and propagate it ? A sort of cosmic insurance. After all, you never know when Vogons may turn up and demolish our home world to make way for an intergalactic hyperspace express route....

[@frasercain]

It's a good question, and our first priority should just be to search for life. Once that's done, then we can decide what we want to do with these ocean worlds.

[@politicallycorrectredskin796]

@@@frasercain I might be ignorant of conditions on Europa, but shouldn't there be dramatic differences between the Jupiter side of the moon and the other one, given that it is tidally locked? Only one side of the moon is bombarded by heavy radiation from the planet etc, and tidal heating should be unevenly distributed to, right? I never seem to hear about this aspect of things. Isn't it important?

[@politicallycorrectredskin796]

@mattvjmeasures I've been thinking about this a lot too. Personally I think we should definitely seed whatever we find with any species that could live there, as long as it isn't currently being used by someone else. If we for example seed bacteria on Europa and they like it there, then even if Earth gets blown up by an asteroid tomorrow there will be life somewhere else, even if it's just simple life. And we did that just because we could. There are worse legacies to leave behind I think.

[@phoule76]

it must be super dark down there under the ice; I hope NASA remembers to put spotlights on its subs. But how would the space whales react to the brightness? Not that they would have developed eyes, I suppose.

[@Atlassian.]

Imagine if they did have spotlights and we had a "live" feed that we could watch back here on Earth. That would be awesome and terrifying.

[@adamc8627]

theres more bioluminescence using critters in our oceans than ones that dont...europa critters would prob have some biolum.

[@stormysampson1257]

A huge amount of life on this planet is in the dark deep oceans and below the surface of soil. In the dark oceans animals make their own light if they need it. They might enhance the sonar or electrical receptors and not need visual cues. Bright light might kill existing life. We might bring a microbe to the planet and the oceans that might kill existing life. Think about the diverse ecosystems right here on this planet! We humans will so easily invade another planet just because we think we should.

[@rachelblack3816]

Wouldn't it be terrifying if the whaliens looked like Barbra Streisand?

[@JACKBRAZILGB]

@@stormysampson1257 we definitely should

[@AlaskanBallistics]

So awesome.. I was wondering about this

[@frasercain]

I could tell. I was just getting so many questions about it. :-)

[@nutyyyy]

It's so popular because it's entirely possible we will find out the truth within our lifetimes.

[@mansamusa1743]

We spend billions on new weapons every year.It's not like military research doesn't benefit civilians it very much does but surely we can spare some for NASA.

[@jefflee1189]

ya know i often wonder what sorts of tech and the sources for the tech have benefited man the most. whether it industrial tech, space tech or war tech. i guess it would depend on the types of tech as well. but it is a rather interesting question

[@frasercain]

Yeah, spare a few pennies to find space whales?

[@Atlassian.]

If everyone stopped building their military and worked together, who knows what we could accomplish. There are too many paranoid and power hungry world leaders, and still too many terrorist groups. Maybe one day...

[@tantootelevision]

SkillzwhoKillz I don't completely agree with you. History tells us that a lot of the progress made towards space exploration, was mainly related to the biggest arms race we have ever seen. Competition is a huge driving force that can not be underestimated.

[@Atlassian.]

LZ Content You make a great point. But there seems to be enough of a hunger for space exploration that we would move forward in the absence of competition.

[@Infiniteredshift]

Excellent episode Fraser.

[@frasercain]

Thanks a lot!

[@cookiemonster3147]

Thanks Fraser. Really enjoyed this one!! Great information and great footage. But it raises still more questions... about Europa's geology, and about the likelihood of finding life out there.

[@cookiemonster3147]

Cookie Monster... I agree.

[@cookiemonster3147]

Me too.

[@cookiemonster3147]

Yeah, me too.

[@frasercain]

Thanks! That's good enough for me.

[@edwardanto9963]

Really good one!

[@jamesjenkins2881]

Well done, even though many of this is outside my field of study it makes me feel like a child again. I always wanted to explore space when I was young & took so much time studying for it. The wonder, the mystery, just simply fascinating no matter what approach you take. I found myself this year looking at so many space related videos. Even though some of the pictures and videos show mostly rocks, ice or fire...its somehow so...amazing regardless. Its not just any kind of rock ...its a rock from the shores of another world. This is where your imagination takes over ~ Would it be possible to build a mini space machine bay that repairs and refuels other crafts/machines. There parts using mostly plug n play for quick and easy replacements. Some machines I seen uses QR code to help understand what some things are and can prove quite useful in this manner. Consisting of two machines as one piggy backs. The Repair bay and the recon. The Repair bay stays in a safe location and deploys the recon. The recon sends data back to the Repair bay as that data is saved and sent back to earth. Perhaps send it out for 6 years, 3 to explore and 3 to come back.

[@alfie2113]

All I want in my lifetime is to find proof of life beyond earth, I could die a happy man if I knew.

[@erikswanson224]

This is really exciting stuff. I hope I live long enough to see the first photos of Europa's ocean.

[@gondwanalon]

Very good video. Love it! Forget about Mars. We already know it's a dead, poison and frozen wasteland. Let's learn all about Europa. It would be so cool to find strange life forms swimming in the ocean. Love to see giant sea monsters too.

[@Mr.Deleterious]

Very excited to see this mission take place

[@kevincorvus3298]

At about the 3:20 mark, you mention that the ice+water is estimated at around 115 km thick. But the accompanying video graphic has it at about 70 km thick. I know this is all estimations and the reality won't be known until we investigate further, but I figured I'd just call it out in case you weren't aware of this small discrepancy in the video. Otherwise, great video as always sir!

[@agustin.8]

great video!

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

I'd be worried that the potential ice "plates" shifting might sever the fiber optic cable during the time the "driller" is descending, especially if it takes more than a year. Just look at the changes that happen on Antarctica every year due to shifting ice.

[@timrobinson513]

Yea I think that's a danger. The issue is that if you drill at a cracked region, the ice should be thinner but there is more chance of it shifting. Personally I would do a surface mission first to look for any life that may have been brought up in the ice.

[@jimashby43]

Fascinating.

[@frasercain]

Thanks!

[@marc-andrebrunet5386]

I subscribe cause you always have good video for US !! 👍🤓🖒....good job

[@frasercain]

Thanks!

[@alexozzie6014]

I like that self centering liquid mercury idea. Simple yet brilliant.

[@frasercain]

Yeah, it's a pretty cool idea. :-)

[@bostcustommusicwriting]

What a great acronym!!!

[@FreemanPascal]

I wish people who dislike videos would post why. Why would anyone disagree with this video?

[@EscapeMCP]

No... we really don't want to hear any more from those people - they get enough airtime already. Just read ANY flat earth/NASA is lying comment and you'll get the idea how toxic this comment section could become if people indeed posted the reasons why they disliked these awesome vids. The funny thing is that they expect everyone to listen to them spout off their nutjob theories, yet they refuse to listen to any cogent responses. Let NASA continue to deal with those lot and we'll keep this little corner of the internet pristine. I remember when the internet needed technical skills to access, you never used to get any oddball theories like flat earth. Now that it's been made so simple to access that even a 2 year old can get on, many crazy theories seem have proliferated. Funny that.

[@massimookissed1023]

EscapeMCP , fun fact: 2 year olds have higher cognitive function than flattards.

[@frasercain]

I'd assume it's the people who want to hide the secrets of Europan Space Whales?

[@FreemanPascal]

Well the Space Whales are sentient and don't want to be found. Tourists can be so rude.

[@hqcart1]

i am an alien from Europa, i don't want you to visit my planet and start bombing it. that's why i disliked it!

[@dapdne4916]

Incredible.

[@tanyo95]

I think it will be awesome if you make a video (or two) about the 2018 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts awards. They are always very interesting and you manage to convey complex information very well, keep up the good work and thanks!

[@frasercain]

Absolutely, I've been looking through the list and there are some really exciting things in there.

[@alfonsomango_suyu]

I started to get interested in jovian and saturnian moons after watching the film Europa report and the Cassini-Huygens mission.

[@exaflop]

Great content! Would be a bummer not to find life down there. Europa is really small - how would that impact the chances of live evolving there?

[@Mrbfgray]

This needs to be done ASAP. I want to live to see what's under there.

[@MarioAlvaradoJ]

Interesting that the Galilean moons are so different, I wonder how they were formed. And that could be key to life evolving there!

[@frasercain]

They probably formed in place around Jupiter. They're so different based on their distance from Jupiter.

[@Dehavilland2000]

Hey Fraser, seemed appropriate to bring this up today with the launch, I know you get a lot of questions about and like to talk about space debris, have you ever talked about the Feb 2009 collision of Iridium 33 with the Russian satellite? If not, it's a great example, love your work

[@Dehavilland2000]

P,S, I tend to use commas where I should use periods,

[@frasercain]

We talked about that event in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4jKZH2Yrp6feKM&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v

[@Dehavilland2000]

Awesome thanks, so many videos, hard to remember them all.

[@user-vm4kf4uo2x]

Hope I'm still alive when all this exploration happens, very exciting time ahead to look forward to

[@redventrue1]

This was a great video. Could you do more on proposed NASA missions?

[@frasercain]

Sure, I've got more in the works.

[@MarcoRoepers]

I think the Europa Clipper is a very reasonable next step in exploring Europa. If the oceans beneath the ice shells are thrived with life it could be determined by the Europa Clipper because it will fly through the Geysers which must contain life if there is on Europa. The Clipper could also investigate which regions are the best for a drilling missions and how the ice shifts.

[@frasercain]

Yeah, Europa Clipper next and then we'll learn what happens after that.

[@WillOfTheWeb]

Fascinating video! Is there any chance you could turn it down the background music a tad?

[@beartechdeck]

I really don’t wanna wait 15 years

[@GwegKnott]

Defenetly life there, maybe even multicellular organisms too! Being so protected from space under 10 kilometers of ice

[@kazenriq]

Excellent synthwave BGM =)

[@frasercain]

Thanks Audioblocks!

[@christiane.g.4142]

there's an old sci-fi published in 2000 depicting a Europa mission using what it called a "microwave impact drill" to penetrate the Europan lithosphere and lowering of a heatsleeve through which they launched a manned submersible into the Europan asthenosphere to find an ocean 70 miles deep with giant ice towers 18 miles high from the bottom

[@condorboss3339]

A quick calculation gives a pressure at the bottom of a 100 km deep ocean based on Europa's surface gravity = 1.3 x 10^6 gm/cm^2. That is going to require one very tough probe.

[@frasercain]

Whoa, nice math. They did go into those calculations in the original paper which I linked.

[@allannirvana]

Hi Fraiser, I’m a big fan, could you please talk about fundamental particles and how this model came to inception?

[@frasercain]

Sure, I'd like to do some more videos on particle physics, or at least bring on some guests.

[@mohammedmiah1348]

Ive been getting high and watching these vids about europa since the dawn of your channel

[@frasercain]

Whoa...

[@notoriousuppy]

Mr cain u are going to b joined by millions of subscribers soon. I can aee that as i predicted for many channels like scishow and few like those, All the best mate.

[@frasercain]

Thanks, keep telling your friends. :-)

[@unclvinny]

Whoa....never imagined there’d be a way to bore through all that ice. Way to go, planetary engineers!

[@Uncommonsensetoo]

Great video. NASA, ESA, and the other space agencies should really get a move on this and make it one of the highest priorities in order to answer the ultimate question - "is there life out there?" It is clear that Europa is our best bet for finding life outside of Earth in the solar system. Enceladus is of course another good candidate but about twice as far away and thus less practical to deploy such a mission to. 2035 is disappointingly far into the future.

[@marijnfly]

One bit of information. That's all we need from a mission to Europa. It's either a yes or a no. That's enough to answer the biggest question. Anything else like footage of whaliens licking the camera can be dealt with in successive missions. To transport one bit of information to earth, an error-prone tether system can be avoided. If we detonate a nuclear bomb when no life is found to transmit a no and no detonation to send a yes when life is actually found, the answer can be registered by a ground station and relayed back to earth. This is how it can be done with current technology.

[@frasercain]

"Whaliens licking the camera". Best... comment... ever.

[@piranha031091]

It would also bring very worrying information regarding the Fermi paradox, and wether "great filters" are behind or ahead of us...

[@eruiluvatar236]

Maybe we should try doing an opensource design and crowdfunding it. Governmental space agencies tend to be underfunded and move slowly but I think that there is a lot of people who want to see it happening.

[@frasercain]

Let's see what happens with the Europa Clipper mission. It's going to map out the depth of the ice and the location of any hotspots under the ice. Then we'll know if this kind of a mission makes sense to undertake.

[@eruiluvatar236]

Sure, sending a probe without that data would have a much higher chance of failing. Although I would totally back anyone crazy enough to try if it means a chance of seeing the space whales and establishing contact with the deep ones.

[@frasercain]

Hah, I can't imagine that we'll find anything bigger than methanogen bacteria, but it would be nice to dream.

[@chaycooper5923]

+Fraser Cain do we really have to drill through the ice? Could we not find a large enough hole to drop the bot through? There has to be a crater hole or shifting ice to cause cracks somewhere on the surface. Just want to point that out

[@frasercain]

We don't know if there are any of these hotspots. We'll need the Europa Clipper to map out the world in detail to tell us where to explore.

[@yunassaxer7119]

great!

[@off_Planet]

The timelines of space exploration are so goddamn frustrating. As if these distances didn't take long enough to cross. How do you manage to stay so excited and interested in this despite scrapped missions, delayed launches and the long travel times in space? Especially considering the fact that all of these exciting missions could be executed right now, with faster launch vehicles, were it not for monetary constraints.

[@frasercain]

I know, but instead, just look forward to the cool things happening from missions that people have already been working on for decades. Bepi-Columbo is about to launch, and TESS, and Mars Insight, and the Parker Solar Probe. New Horizons is about to meet its next Kuiper Belt target. Be patient. :-)

[@benjamino.7475]

Well, since there are a lot of geysers on the ice surface, maybe we could get a free ride to the bottom :) no drillling needed

[@frasercain]

If we're really lucky, Europa Clipper will be able to fly through geysers and detect life.

[@nicosmind3]

As much as I want a mission now and to find these things out today, I'm not sure if the technology is there yet. But if it is launch it and lets find out already. Or wait till we can actually do it lol

[@frasercain]

That's what I thought going into it, but it was pretty eye opening to talk to the people using these cryobots in Greenland, so all the pieces are surprisingly further along than I originally thought.

[@timrobinson513]

I'm still a little concerned about "dumbing" a block of radioactive material into a potentially habitable moon.

[@DrNappers]

Quick question: Assuming the ~65km deep ocean shown in the graphic, what sort of temperatures and pressures are expected at the ice-water and water-rock boundaries?

[@davidcastelein2137]

Crazy. We should launch 2 twin probes, 1 for Europa around Jupiter, and 1 for Encelade around Saturn .

[@frasercain]

It would be great to see a mission to Enceladus.

[@CanadianUnicornDeathSquad]

If this could be a joint mission between more than one agency, perhaps we’d get our under ice exploration at the same time. Who knows.

[@frasercain]

The European Space Agency often collaborates with NASA, so I could see them getting involved.

[@CanadianUnicornDeathSquad]

If ESA jumped in on this, it would bring me great joy. I'd love to have this all done in one shot as opposed to having to wait even longer, and potentially have it mucked up by bureaucracy.

[@Mattman003]

Sounds promising!

[@frasercain]

Definitely. :-)

[@Top_Weeb]

I'm posiively shocked that this is at all feasible. The future is exciting!

[@frasercain]

There are many technologies that would need to be figured out still. :-)

[@m9078jk3]

It's a vastly better use of money and effort than the huge military waste budget. We could learn more about the origin of life and finding extraterrestrial life even microbial would be so cool. Unfortunately at my age I will probably be dead in the 2030's to see this sigh.

[@frasercain]

Aww, we'll get some news a little sooner with the Europa Clipper mission.

[@MrKago1]

Hey Fraiser, great show as always. I have a question about the XRS-2200 aerospike. From what I've gathered it uses air pressure to retain its efficiency from sea level air pressure to the vacuum of space. If its so efficient why isn't aren't engines like the 2200 the go to rocket design?

[@frasercain]

Great question, no idea, I sent your Q along to Aerojet, so I'll let you know if they get back to me.

[@LordKingPotato]

Interesting! Question: Say we get there, and we land safely. During the "drilling" stage, won't the ice freeze over again after its gone deep? Tidal forces with Jupiter might move the ice sheet and twist the important fiber cable behind the drilling prope.

[@frasercain]

We don't know how much the ice will shift, so this is one of the observations that Europa Clipper will need to make, to see if this is even possible.

[@damlic11]

we're always worried about sun storms - can't we build ourselves a shield in the L1 lagrange point - the type of thing that was suggested as a way to counteract the lack of magnetic field of Mars? we could for egsample keep it turned off and only turn it on if a sun storm ocures

[@frasercain]

Here's a video just for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5KyeKR4qZhlqKs&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v

[@jamescarter5042]

The Europa clipper may discovered hypo thermal vents. Like the ones in earths oceans that have aquatic life.

[@hyksos74]

I wonder if the Europa Clipper could deploy geophones to Europa's surface. See if they can work out Europa's structure from seismic waves without the need to burrow initially.

[@paulkar1]

Hey Fraser, In our solar system, what planets or moons would make your top 10 places to search for life and why does each one of your selections tweak your interest? Thanks Fraser!

[@frasercain]

I'd start with the icy moons, obviously, then Mars, then the cloudtops of Venus. I wouldn't mind exploring the deep oceans of Earth too.

[@paulkar1]

So the icy moons....Europa first, then Enceladus, and maybe Titan in that order? So many awesome questions to answer by investigating those targets.....Mars, we really need scientist boots on the ground. Underground lakes and aquifers would be where I would want to look on mars...Thanks Fraser!!!

[@stevekenny347]

Frasier, I've heard many times that the Universe might be infinite and that we just don't know yet. How is that possible if it all started with the big bang just shy of 14 billion years ago? Does that mean it had to exand infinitely fast in order to now be infinite in its dimensions?? I think I'm missing something... Can't wrap my head around it! Thanks! Love the channel too.

[@michaelnelthorpe1825]

Hi Fraser, Asked something similar to this once before but you may have missed it. The evidence for the big bang shows that certainly the universe is expanding and we can trace it back at least as far as a time when it was all behaving as a single star. How though can we tell that this is the first expansion? Is it possible prior to 'the big bang' that the universe had been larger and collapsed into the star like arrangement/density? I know all the matter we can see from that time is simple and does not contain heavier elements but if it was hot enough back then could the extreme heat have made any prior heavy elements decompose into energy/lighter elements? Personally I like the big bang and think we are in the first expansion but my dad prefers the idea of an infinitely old universe that expands, contracts, and expands again. Is there evidence that supports this being the first and only expansion? Please say yes :) Personally I think it seems highly unlikely that everything could ever collapse so uniformly that no heavier matter would be thrown clear and so we would see older heavy elements surviving. Love your show, keep it up

[@n6hpx]

when I was riding a oceanographic ship back in the late 70's the oceanographers did a depth sounding device which were small bombs that gave them a idea of layers in our oceans, was wondering if NASA as thought of doing something similar to find out how thick this ice might be and be able to penetrate it better. Just a thought.

[@frasercain]

That's cool. Once you get down below the ice, this technique might work really well.

[@n6hpx]

@@frasercain the oceanographers did this and found the ocean had similar layers like our atmosphere does, but some sound waves to detect submarines were not able to do so. NASA might think of doing similar to see just how thick the ice is. They might find themselves on a think spot or thin one. If too think the lander should have a ability to lift and move

[@progman965]

Exciting prospects. Just hope the funding could be found.

[@frasercain]

Exactly. Europa Clipper is on its way, so we're going to get more info about Europa.

[@markj9156]

Could you give us an update on Europa Clipper and the potential for it to sample water plumes please?

[@frasercain]

We did an episode about that a couple of years ago? kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnbYdJekrbWSjJo&index=151&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v

[@SqrsYT]

I heard that "Space wahles" lol. Q. How does a spaceship discharge accumulated charges in the isolation of space? Q. With lower gravity comes lower pressure correct? so gliders can go 10 times deeper on Europa? Thanks for this amazing report.

[@R.Instro]

SqrsYT said: "How does a spaceship discharge accumulated charges in the isolation of space?" I respond: This is a fantastic question, as this very problem has caused minor to fatal malfunctions in a number of spacecraft over the years. The shortest possible answer I can give is that you do two basic things: FIRST - Make sure that everything likely to pick up stray charge is connected to everything _else_ that can do the same, usually via a metal charge-conducting frame. This way there is no charge differential between different spacecraft parts to cause a current to flow. SECOND - Conductors or cabling should be highly shielded & remain internal to the spacecraft as much as possible. This helps to avoid picking up the stray charge in the first place. Hopefully, Fraser does an episode on this very topic, because the whole subject is not only interesting, it's like looking into the behind-the-scenes of the satellite manufacturing industry or something. =D

[@SqrsYT]

Good suggestions, technical "nerdy" details are always welcomed, I hope Fraser give it a look.

[@frasercain]

Great question, and I'll talk about electrical discharging in space at some point in the future.

[@SqrsYT]

That would be great. Thanks.

[@daltonduncan7285]

What would the pressure be like at the bottom of Europa's oceans? Would it be like going to the bottom of the Mariana Trench or would it be less stressful on a probe because of the lower gravity? Ten miles of ocean and 30 miles of ice is a lot of pressure.

[@zaugitude]

Interesting about the intense radiation. Do they have an idea how intense it would be below the ice? Also, depending on how persistent they are found to be, wouldn’t make sense to land near one of the geysers?

[@frasercain]

Just a meter or so beneath the ice and you're protected from the radiation.

[@amelliamendel2227]

Maybe go to Antarctica and try to get down to ground with a robot, not going to happen. All these space videos make everything seem so easy. It's like watching a kick starter video for free water from the air, lol. This mission doesn't have a chance

[@frasercain]

I never said it was going to be easy, just theoretically possible based on our current understanding. Right now there's a rover on the surface of Mars, a spacecraft beyond the orbit of Pluto and two spacecraft retrieving samples from asteroids.

[@amelliamendel2227]

@@frasercain Exactly my point. Send a rover to Antarctica and get down to the grown through the ice. I'm not seeing that's possible

[@horizonbrave1533]

Okay...I think more time and effort went into making that acronym of EUROPA than the actual thought of how to pull it off! :P

[@frasercain]

Yeah, hard not to eyeroll when I saw that.

[@sprinter768]

As the probe melts the ice and keeps going down. the tunnel above collapses and freezes again encasing the tether cable. What would keep the cable from getting stuck in the ice and breaking off from the probe?

[@lancemarchetti8673]

Wow!

[@sebastienraymond3648]

Imagine if we found any form of life on Europa or elsewhere in our own solar system. Twice the life in the same system gives much more hope to find life in other viable systems, regardless of the stage of evolution of this life form. Wow! There are no other words.

[@frasercain]

Once you found it on Europa, then you'd have reason to explore all the other worlds. Did you see this video we did? kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3-thHaIhcqBprc&index=10&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v

[@sebastienraymond3648]

Yes I did ! It's fantastically well done and well explained. 👍 😀

[@ChipKempston]

Could we drop a "rod from god" from orbit to minimize the length of the descent through the ice? This is basically just simulating an asteroid strike, so it's not like we're doing anything environmentally to the moon that wouldn't happen naturally.

[@frasercain]

Or get an asteroid to smash into it and use that place. Seems like overkill, though.

[@ChipKempston]

Ha ha, makes sense. Asteroid is probably cheaper than a tungsten rod.

[@jichaelmorgan3796]

I heard we won't know if it has thick slushy layers as well, which would put a damper on things

[@lofigaan]

Hi Fraser, do you have a Spotify playlist for podcasts? Thank you

[@frasercain]

I don't, are my podcasts on Spotify? I know Astronomy Cast is. I think I tried submitting them once?

[@lofigaan]

I am a huge fan of your videos, but don’t really have time to watch all of them, but would live to hear the while I am driving. I think if you have a Spotify podcast of your videos, that would be awesome, and most of your other subscribers would appreciate it aswell. Thank you.

[@HoundofOdin]

That I'm going to likely be in my FIFTIES by the time we find any life on Europa is deeply frustrating to me.

[@snowinblood5243]

That looks like Jimmy Hendrix face at 1:00 in the Europa vent.