The Insane Engineering of Europa Clipper

[@bluecup25]

It's like Veritasium called him and told him "homie, you gotta continue where I left off"

[@NonBinary_Star]

ikr!

[@aGj2fiebP3ekso7wQpnd1Lhd]

Wayyy better. This is actual science.

[@jimmymememe5917]

Veritasium got very clickbait-y. I unsubed a few years ago

[@oliverberger4976]

I’m sure it was like that

[@mtasim15]

Exactlyy!

[@stevelin3659]

“We can measure the velocity of the probe with an accuracy of 1mm/s" this data gave me chills. It's so surreal to think that that we can measure an imperceptible change of speed of something up to 1 billion kilometers away. The technological might of humans never fails to move me.

[@SMacCuUladh]

data is plural, "this datum gave me chills", sorry for being pedantic, I thought you'd want to know.

[@shipwreck9146]

And it's even more insane to have that small of a resolution, considering how mind bogglingly fast this probe is moving.

[@stevelin3659]

@@SMacCuUladh This is the second time I’ve been called out for grammar errors in the comment section. Guess I can’t hide that English is my second language. 😂

[@SMacCuUladh]

@@stevelin3659 Your English is excellent, most people who speak English natively don't know that datum is the singular form.

[@Dan-hx6ni]

​@@SMacCuUladhHuh, never in my life have I heard "datum" as an english word, only "piece of data". Interesting to know

[@RohitSharma-kg5ye]

What a exciting week it has been, Starship Launch and Catch, videos from Veritasium, Real Engineering, and Practical Engineering!! Keep it up👍🏻

[@eyebite7740]

Northwood passing the satellite antenna test as well!

[@peppapig9987]

Jeff Bezos penis rocket also launched this morning, for the first time in many months

[@BrunoDias1234]

BBC: This machine is a typical of forced labour CNN: The overcapacity of Chinese moon landing DW: Chang'e 6, the dark side of the dark side of the moon

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

Hi, I'm Grady and this is practical engineering, all with the world's biggest smile

[@DanielVerberne]

Don't forget the ever-informative Fraser Cain. The guy has been doing thus stuff some 20 years now.

[@umer936]

Thanks for covering this! I work on Europa Clipper. Hanging out in Florida awaiting launch. Let me know if anyone has any questions!

[@umer936]

Sidenote, it would have been cool if when you showed the specific instruments (SUDA, MASPEX, REASON) if you put the organization it was provided by

[@allen0hu]

You should be proud of yourself! So cool to see a video explaining an awesome project, then the real people working on it commenting. Personally I'm interested in what hardware and software the main computer is running on? With current tech there should be way more options than in the 60s

[@umer936]

@@allen0hu Thank you for the kind words! on-board the spacecraft, two limiting factors for the compute are radiation hardening and power draw. Jupiter's intense radiation means special radiation hardened processors must be used, in this case I believe it is a RAD750 (or similar). These run an RTOS (real-time operating system) for precise timing of operations. As for power, the spacecraft is solar powered rather than nuclear powered in the past, which also limits how much processing it can afford to do and send back.

[@FerociousMoOoO]

When will Europa Clipper arrive at jupiter? Edit: Also, this might be a silly idea but seeing as jupiter has such a huge magnetic field could we use it to help generate supplemental power for probes?

[@manuelvolk6177]

I was surprised when I heard the resolution of the camera is only 5 times better than the Galileo spacecraft. I would have thought the technology would've been at least 20x better. Why's that?

[@ShihammeDarc]

"The trash of the department of defense is the treasure of NASA" is such a good quote.

[@MichaelKane-s3i]

Just goes to show that the nuclear arms race had some good aspects after all.

[@AbeTweakin]

Am I the only one that thinks this is a huge waste of money? I mean the guy may have been an absolute LOON, maybe even psychopathic...but I must say when Stockton Rush the CEO of the failed OceanGate submersible said that we ought to be spending more time and resources studying the ocean, I kind of feel like that may be the one thing he said that I feel comfortable saying I agree with!

[@ShihammeDarc]

@@AbeTweakin extracting resources and building habitats on other planets is way easier and less disruptive to our planet than doing that on the bottom of our oceans. Also there are many resources that can only be found in abundant quantities in space and there are many manufacturing process that only works in microgravity. And at the end of the day if all these doesn't convince you, remember the age old saying: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." and the earth is just one big basket for humanity.

[@Nphen]

@@MichaelKane-s3i There are civilian nuclear reactor designs that could produce plutonium under the right conditions. Thorium reactors for which there is a million year fuel supply. But dislike for the nuclear arms race of the First Cold War helped build opposition to nuclear power in the West in the 1970's. Which led us into our current twin energy & climate crises. The US/UK/EU lack of PU-137 highlights the need for civilian nuclear energy research and cooperation with China & India, both of whom are smart enough to pursue thorium nuclear options.

[@nolanwalsh4704]

@@AbeTweakin Space exploration and research, such as the Clipper mission, not only provide us with valuable scientific knowledge and satisfy humanity’s urge to expand, but more importantly, these missions lead to the development of valuable technology. For example, we wouldn’t even be communicating right now or have cell phones if it weren’t for the moon landings-NASA needed a way to communicate with the astronauts. Here’s a link to a bunch of tech used on Earth only because of investment into space technology: spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2010/cg_3.html

[@timkeklinker]

I just watched interstellar for the first time. Made myself wait for YEARS because I wanted the first time to either be in a cinema or a proper home theater. So for the 10th anniversary they brought it back to the studios and I watched it twice. All of this is perfect timing. - SpaceX catching the booster - another round of Auroras - the asteroid passing by being visible to the naked eye - clipper being launched to search for life (in VERY broad terms I know) What a time to be alive!

[@bigbubba0439]

Interstellar is back in theaters?! I need to find out more about this. I never knew what my favorite movie was until I watched Interstellar. That's how much I love that movie. This really is an exciting time for humanity (in this moment, but also in the years to come thanks to the innovations by SpaceX in being able to catch the boosters)

[@timkeklinker]

@@bigbubba0439 yes take a look at your local theaters. at least here in germany a couple of them brought it back for the 10th anniversary. it was only for a week or two but then the word spread and each show was jam packed so now they've been playing it like twice a day for the last three weeks and it's almost sold out every time hahahahah (don't ask me how i know ... cough cough ... i went three times lol whoops)

[@BrunoDias1234]

US: banned China from ISS China : developed its own SS US: you started a war! world : what a great show

[@patrickhughes9094]

This is a beautiful video. Y'alls animation game is insane right now

[@s0lar__]

I would rethink that.. 0:33 notice the shadows

[@Hoodiism]

Yeah, but mcmANUS is an asshole .

[@BrunoDias1234]

US: banned China from ISS China : developed its own SS US: you started a war! world : what a great show

[@therexbellator]

@@BrunoDias1234 Fuck China. Fuck Xi Jinping. China already pollutes the earth, they're only going to fuck up space for everyone else.

[@therexbellator]

@@s0lar__ LITERALLY UNWATCHABLE 😤

[@RDHardy79]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be cancelling my Curiosity stream subscription asap.

[@JohnDunne001]

Same here... Curiosity has been coasting alot lately anyway. Not worth paying a monthly for their effort.

[@jayantchoudhary1495]

what happened?

[@JohnDunne001]

@@jayantchoudhary1495 In this video, RE mentions that Curiosity have decided not to pay RE the royalties due them from their videos on the Curiosity platform. RE are keeping their videos on Curiosity until the end of the year, but no longer after that. D**k move by Curiosity IMHO.

[@jayantchoudhary1495]

@@JohnDunne001 how tf they can decide to "not pay the royalties"

[@JohnDunne001]

@@jayantchoudhary1495 Dunno. There's no doubt more to it, but RE just mentioned it in a single sentence. I'd love to hear more details.

[@tylermadison2073]

It’s refreshing to see progress and positive developments in science and engineering. It really helps showing the brighter side of a world filled with so much pain.

[@julz_swag]

Veritasium and Real Engineering video on Europa Clipper. This is too good.

[@BrunoDias1234]

BBC: This machine is a typical of forced labour CNN: The overcapacity of Chinese moon landing DW: Chang'e 6, the dark side of the dark side of the moon

[@alterbr33d]

Well look the logo for Real Engineering. Ʌeritasium

[@UndBeebs]

@@BrunoDias1234 Begone, bot.

[@smallpeople172]

Tbh I strongly dislike veritasium and how he presents the videos and how they are structured. I like the dry terse lecture I get here more

[@tbraghavendran]

​@@smallpeople172what's wrong with his presentation?

[@JonathanLivni]

Minor correction: While both Io (one of Jupiter's moons) and the solar wind contribute to Jupiter's radiation environment, Io has a more direct and consistent impact on the radiation belts near the planet due to the continuous supply of volcanic material. The solar wind, while also important, mainly affects the outer magnetosphere and causes fluctuations rather than being the dominant, steady source of radiation.

[@BrunoDias1234]

BBC: This machine is a typical of forced labour CNN: The overcapacity of Chinese moon landing DW: Chang'e 6, the dark side of the dark side of the moon

[@weissfox5857]

@@BrunoDias1234You keep spamming this same message everywhere, no one has any idea what point you're even trying to make nor does anyone care since it has no relation to the videos you comment on, you most likely have some kind of mental illness that you should seek help about and you haven't changed a single person's mind about with these posts. For your own good, spend some time offline.

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

Odd that the solar wind only affects the outer magnetosphere of Jupiter, since Callisto receives the least amount of radiation as opposed to the rest of Jupiter’s moons and is seen as a prime candidate for a potential human base in the future. Io meanwhile is the catalyst for the majority of Jupiter’s ionizing radiation, Europa is smack dab in the middle of this vast radiation belt and is bathed in radiation from Io and Jupiter, and Ganymede is also quite often affected by radiation too. Callisto meanwhile receives relatively little radiation, and then nobody really cares about the other smaller 60 something moons that Jupiter has beyond the major Galilean moons or the smaller moons found within Jupiter’s RINGS (yes, Jupiter has rings)

[@AncientWildTV]

@@therealspeedwagon1451 Would the lesser known moons provide new data on the radiation environment or the early solar system?

[@Xelaria]

I think we all saw the veritasium video too

[@snowballeffect7812]

have nebula, but still watch here for the convenience. to me, nebula is kind of like a group patreon subscription for creators i love.

[@Tinyvalkyrie410]

Yeah. I hate to admit it, but nebula is kinda a chore to use and it doesn’t allow any community interaction. Unless something is nebula exclusive, I watch it here.

[@snowballeffect7812]

@@Tinyvalkyrie410 yeah, honestly it's probably totally fine for them for it to be that way. they pay less on bandwidth and the times i do go there to check some stuff out, i do stick around to see there are other exclusives or check out new creators

[@snowballeffect7812]

@@robertosutrisno8604 the creators have a share in nebula. that's why a lot of them will say "my streaming service" or the like. It's about as direct as it can be and I'd assume they get a better cut than what patreon would give them since the company is literally created by them lol.

[@dongiovanni4331]

@@robertosutrisno8604 Most cryptocurrencies are scams.

[@snowballeffect7812]

@@robertosutrisno8604 nebula is owned and operated by the creators themselves.

[@L-Office]

I can't get over the fact how much further we'd have gotten into space if the big nations would collaborate based on a common goal. But no, focusing on each other's differences seems to be more appealing.

[@harrisontull8377]

at least we have the ISS

[@SergeantPsycho]

Was thinking of you this morning during the Starship 5 launch, Real Engineering Guy.

[@RealEngineering]

That’s very romantic.

[@Miftahul_786]

Thinking of him oh my 😍

[@SergeantPsycho]

@@RealEngineering I mean to say, I'm looking forward to your in depth analysis.😅

[@StringEcho]

@@RealEngineering ven video ?

[@StringEcho]

@@SergeantPsycho thank goddddd

[@xsparik]

It’s insane how smart all these engineers are to think and create something of this level of precision and functionality.

[@nicstroud]

0:23 The _origin_ of life. I think the purpose of Europa Clipper is to search for the ingredients needed for life. The origin? I think that mission is a little bit further away.

[@DanielVerberne]

I feel like NASA has been beating around the bush in this regard ever since the disappointment that was Viking's life detection experiment 'non results'. I get the impression that the brass and the lower staff all felt that directly searching for life was just setting us all up for disappointment, hence years of missions looking for signs of things associated with known life, ergo blueberries on Mars, ergo methane seasonality on Mars, etc. I realise we simply don't have the funds or know-how right now, but surely one day we will send a super craft to Europa's surface to do the holy grail of astrobiolovy - I.e. melt through potentially kilometres of ice then somehow convert to a swimming probe, complete with ultra-powerful headlights, cameras, sensors out the wazoo..... I can't wait for THAT mission to happen.

[@MrNicoJac]

"our _next_ hope for finding the origins of life" Next hope. Not last, not conclusive. (also, chemistry means that life probably arose/will form in many many different places at many many different points in time - but how long it lasts, how intelligent it gets, and whether it ever successfully spreads from its home planet/moon, those are totally different topics)

[@smorrow]

Every NASA press release, live stream, etc, on this has said "this is not a life detection mission" verbatim.

[@Amradar123]

Simple, it is 42 😊

[@kenton6098]

It is taxpayer-funded mining exploration. No one will ever want to live there.

[@malindailankoon]

1:00 europa is solar powered?

[@smorrow]

Dyson sunflowers

[@MartinHMK]

He meant Europa clipper is solar powered

[@smorrow]

@@MartinHMK Obviously

[@MartinHMK]

@@smorrow clearly not obvious for all

[@Reptiile]

Yes

[@PakkaponPhongtawee]

Can't wait to reach Europa

[@typedef_]

🤡

[@Me-0063]

Im already in Europ…e

[@jensenraylight8011]

*People in Europe:* why everyone suddenly talking about us?

[@Ben-M112]

We boutta find taniks in real life

[@jonnyd9351]

Europe 2.0 will be founded in europe.

[@DardS8Br]

I watched it launch live in person! Huge props to the team who worked on this for the past decade for bringing such an incredible work of engineering into existence!

[@TheSateef]

would the natives of Europa be called Europeans?

[@kjamison5951]

Europans.

[@dtmoore500]

Euros

[@imperial_corner]

😂 Little do we know, they already invaded earth..

[@Waitin4_a_Mate]

Always

[@JO-ui9fl]

They would be called aliens...

[@kjamison5951]

“All these worlds are your except Europa. Attempt no landing there.”

[@priplongton8386]

Arthur C. Clarke gave permission for this mission lol

[@jacksonr260]

I just wish we didn't have to wait 5.5 or 6 years for it to reach Jupiter! Something exciting to look forward to.

[@bluwurbinx]

What’s with the bonkers shades on planets at 0:36 ?!😢

[@nolan_meyer]

Alpha Centauri was just *super* bright during the render

[@BeneHeller]

Missed opportunity, as well Jupiter should be 10 times bigger than the earth and the sun 100 times bigger ;)

[@storyspren]

They're in Shadesmar

[@trevorcurrie4774]

​@@BeneHeller Uh not quite. If you wanted it to scale you wouldn't be able to see any of the terrestrial planets.

[@Jykobe491]

Not really a big deal, its just an illustration

[@VampireJoe]

I recently realized that all the science missions seem relatively inexpensive compared to other expenditures in the world. For example, the Europa Clipper mission costs over $5 billion, which sounds like a lot, but when you consider that Apple's net profit in 2023 is over $20 billion, it puts things into perspective.

[@martinpenwald9475]

And this sum is spread over the years of development and exploitation. Even if it’s only over 10 years, it represents just 500 millions per year. It’s 20 times less than the DoD budget.

[@radsy5821]

@@martinpenwald9475 and it's not like it (all) gets set on fire or shot into space. It gets paid to engineers and scientists and janitors and such.

[@mrbaab5932]

​@@martinpenwald9475The USA defense department does much more than one mission like the Europa Clipper.

[@theKashConnoisseur]

Profits aren't expenditures...

[@tylersmith9868]

Earnings aren't expenditures wtf

[@danielreimer3292]

These animations are top tier

[@mho...]

the glory of easily(freely) available, powerful 3d engines 💪

[@AiRStrejf]

7:08 4 km/sec is 14400 km/h for anyone also wondering

[@TrappistSpace]

Hey Real Engineering, you have to make a video about the insane Starship Booster catch today

[@DanielRodriguez-ff5cs]

Thanks!

[@MWXYT]

15:45 I wouldn't keep those Plutonium nuggets chilling on the desk.

[@hylobateslar4151]

Scientists aren't allowed to have a snack?

[@washinours]

Honestly the way we slap together pieces into boxes and tubes and spheres to play with atoms, molecules, ions etc with such calculated accuracy millions of kms from earth will never stop to mesmerize me.

[@BrHck]

This probe is out of this universe! Extremely complex!!! I can't believe that, we - humans are so so so soooo technologically advanced. Absolutely phenomenal!!! I am so proud right now! Way to go NASA, SpaceX and countless engineers and scientists! MINDBLOWED

[@greggf.1393]

Your Insane Engineering videos show just how amazing humans are.

[@jonathanodude6660]

I wish you went into more of the engineering behind these challenges. would love more detail in the analysis vs just telling us whats been done, since thats something more akin to science communication. one way to do it would be to start with what we want to know, then how we might measure it, then introduce the factors we have to account for that will change the design, then show the final solution. there are probably other ways to make videos feel more like learning rather than an information dump. 3B1B videos are a more complex version of what I mean.

[@timokraus4882]

3:45 The qr code actually works, details like this make this channel so impressive ❤

[@diaboempessoa]

0:32 "At first glance Europa seems like an odd location to look for signs of life" -- Engineering, Real. 2024

[@Showman0010]

Thank you for coming back! Hope to see your new videos come out more often...

[@kineticstar]

HAL: Good afternoon, Mr. Real Enginerring. Everything is going extremely well.

[@robbannstrom]

Absolutely love the little logo you use, which reminds me so very much of a diagram of a cross-section through a case-hardened 20° PA gear tooth. The involute curve is one of my all-time favorites!

[@TheColinputer]

10:45 USB Logo anyone?

[@AchuthanKarnnan]

Nice catch

[@VictorDodon]

Thank you for covering this! It's a great video with great graphics!

[@felixnyamongo]

13:10 Hope you see this. Why 8 megapixel. Don't we have small higher quality cameras available? Why did they make this choice? Edit: Thanks for all your answers.

[@atramirezomar3109]

More megapixels doesnt mean better quality, most of the time thats just used as marketing for cameras, 8mp is enough for what they want and also like eric said it would just make the process of sending the pictures slower

[@Appletank8]

Space tech is often a generation or two older than their available options. Reliability and redundancy is way more important than the shiniest bling if there's very few ways to fix things if they glitch or fail. Older stuff tends to have most of their bugs ironed out, and people know how to deal with it. Your phone may take amazing pictures, but it isn't going to cope with sub zero temperatures and 30x the ionizing radiation very well.

[@liamalexander1797]

Sensor size is much more important than density out there. Jupiter receives 25 times less light than Earth, so it's imperative that we have large sensors to catch more light. The pixel density others have covered though! Plus, the details you're catching aren't exactly small anyhow

[@squidwardo7074]

8 megapixel is 4k and I'm guessing the reason for it is that the transfer rate back home is probably calculated in bytes per second

[@SaffronMilkChap]

Another factor besides those mentioned: electronics become more sensitive to radiation the smaller they get, so one way to make them more robust is to use physically larger components. Miniaturising CCD elements inside a camera sensor to get a higher resolution would - all things being equal - make the camera more sensitive to radiation noise.

[@neyvindeleon1080]

I’m an engineer working in Aerospace and this video is of superb quality. Thank you for putting it together.

[@spacecowboy5274]

amazing video, now lets watch it

[@mobilhomme]

Excellent video! My wife worked on the team that built the radar antennas and we both learned new stuff about the mission!

[@c0ldsh0w3r]

The weird microphone noises at @20:50 threw me off

[@CHRIS-ELID]

Real Engineering channel are whole new level now. I watched you 8 years ago bruh, this is next level.

[@Break.]

the fact that the clipper has 8MP cameras makes me question all these new phones with 100MP cameras

[@CraigCholar]

This video is excellent! The ingenuity of those who conceive, build, launch, and operate space probes is something I've always admired. I was born just before Sputnik was launched, so I've lived through the entirety of space exploration. People my age have had the opportunity to actually experience the revealing of a dazzling array of "strange new worlds" by an armada of pioneering space probes, "boldly going where no probe has gone before." It's all been a long, interesting trek through the Solar System so far, and hopefully the best is yet to come. I believe the future exploits of space exploration will be summed up in one word... "Fascinating"

[@srimangoel1318]

We could find something that truly confirms life on Europa. Can't wait!

[@mochachaiguy]

Indeed. Glad we haven’t been warned off landing there by a mysterious monolith.

[@smorrow]

It's not a life detection mission

[@srimangoel1318]

@@smorrow could still find evidence of the evolution cycle and potentially life as well.

[@0xmoo]

@@smorrowevidence is possible tho

[@P__114]

@@smorrowit’s not?

[@mickborneo2611]

I enjoy your videos immensely, and respect the work to create and engineering knowledge required to explain complex science to the average person. You missed an opportunity to explain how the mission was in serious danger of being canceled because engineers hadn't fully understood how vulnerable the probe's transistors were to Jupiter's radiation when originally designing the instruments -- and that the aluminum "vault" was their ingenious but last minute, desperate solution to keep the mission on track while also adding the highly eccentric orbit to its mission profile. Thanks again for your work.

[@motherbeanmtb6473]

ENGINEERING MAN HATH RETURNED!!!

[@AlexFoster2291]

OMG. That unfolding boom is such beautiful and genius engineering!

[@andrewgeorge2303]

that catch today was truly unbelievable and indistinguishable from magic, greatest achievement in history of spaceflight except only the Apollo program

[@defconklaxon]

I absolutely love every Real Engineering video, and I love this video about Europa Clipper but I have to admit, every time I watch a Real Engineering video I can't help but imagine that the narrator is Tom Branson from Downton Abbey.

[@likebot.]

This is a nice companion to a segment of Dr. Becky's latest video. Thanks for the deeper dive with this 'clip'. swidt?

[@cameronlukewilson281]

As a Veritasium fan, this one was far superior. Great work

[@undisputeddespicable]

I love your videos,keep it up bro I'm with you

[@OrchestrationOnline]

0:16 "Despite these successes, we've not found the ingredients of life." Slight misstatement. We've found many many molecules that play a role in organic chemistry. Those are technically the "ingredients of life," if not life itself. I get what they're saying, no signs of life have been detected, but that's different from the individual ingredients that make up life.

[@alfielebanna9841]

Love your videos so much man. Also all I can see is 2001: A space odyssey

[@JanStrojil]

I’m surprised not more people picking up on this. Its actually from 2010: Odyssey Two. “all these worlds are yours, except europa. attempt no landing there”

[@SpaceRacePatriot]

Exceptionally encouraging. Great stuff.

[@jimwinchester339]

Disappointed that there will be no actual landing and ice-melter probe, as was conceived earlier.

[@DoryAbelman]

Amazing video, so much detail! Wow, crazy to see the level of genius that went into planning this mission and designing the satellite. Thanks for sharing

[@acb9896]

American Science guy: "We call it " Falcon Heavy. She'll weigh 500 tons" Irish Science guy: "Aye, that IS fockin' heavy!"

[@TheShoe1990]

I've been fascinated on the potential for life on Europa for years. This is an exciting project to listen out for

[@njoroge_mn]

I love your content. Watching from Nairobi Kenya

[@EricFielding]

Nice job on the detailed explanation of the instruments and objectives of Europa Clipper!

[@berttorpson2592]

10:07 is this mass spectrometry?

[@TheFirebird123456]

Yup

[@okaformichael383]

Great video. I would love if you made a video on the insane engineering of the falcon heavy or even starship. Keep up the good work.

[@gamereditor59ner22]

Yes!! I want more space exploration!!

[@SpeakerWiggin49]

Very well explained. Thank you for this presentation.

[@Shanghaimartin]

If there is life down there, even small stuff in the realm of centimeters in size, it wouldn't be unheard of for some of those lifeforms to get blasted up in one of these jets too. Imagine actually finding a Europan Shrimp while passing through one of the plumes ☺ (Although I expect the clipper doesn't even have the instruments to see/detect that even if it happened)

[@mal2ksc]

Imagine if they experience degraded camera performance, only to realize it's because they have a bug stuck to the lens!

[@snap-summary]

00:00 - Search for Life Beyond Earth 🔍 01:22 - NASA's Europa Clipper Mission 🚀 03:50 - Radiation Challenges and Solutions ⚡ 10:13 - Sample Collection Techniques 🧪 12:50 - Promise of Stunning Images 📷 15:09 - Plutonium-238 as a Space Fuel 🚀 15:52 - NASA's Dependence on Plutonium ⛰ 16:44 - Alternative Power Sources ⚡ 17:56 - Plutonium Shortage Concerns 📉 19:31 - Support for Content Creation on Nebula 🎥

[@JoeSchmoer]

Reminder that for the cost of Artemis and sls doing a single mission to the moon, we could send many dozens, I repeat, DOZENS, PLURAL, of europa clipper and perseverance level missions to every corner of the solar system. Rovers, probes, satellites, sample return missions, etc etc to every corner of the solar system within our lifetimes. Dozens of missions like that. 30, 40, 50 or maybe even more depending how much artemis ends up costing, not to mention how standardization will decrease the price per mission. But we need to send a couple people back to the moon, because reasons, before we inevitably cancel artemis anyways once we send people back one time.

[@adamredwine774]

I hear what you’re saying, but the politics of something like Artemis boost popular support for space programs and also the science the is developed to support it has its own value.

[@danboy12342]

This thinking got us where we are today, you have to please the people funding this stuff, and we please them with people on the moon

[@cadenbigler]

Or you know we could just give the manned landings to SpaceX who will do it for a fraction of the cost that the bozos at Boeing will do at 4 and let NASA do the important scientific stuff with their remaining budget

[@somethingforsenro]

more than half of the delta-v for a mission is expended in getting above earth's atmosphere. colonizing the moon would allow us to send people and supplies to and fro relatively easily (compared to another planet like mars, at least), at any time of the year, and launch rockets from there using lunar resources instead of doing everything on earth. this would cut down massively on launch costs in the long term, no matter where they're going.

[@cadenbigler]

@@somethingforsenro That is decades away at best, not to mention the cost of fuel usually only makes up a small percentage of the overall cost. I agree it's going to be great, but it's a ways off and won't save that much when you are talking about the entire cost of design, building probs, operational costs, etc.

[@magics902]

I'm 5mins in and I feel this is one of your best videos. Maybe I'm just excited for Clipper. But thanks for your contribution to my knowledge and the hype!

[@nikhilpatel7587]

0:17 Brian, if you want a red Komodo on your videos hmu

[@3DLearningHub-n6x]

"Keep creating amazing content like this! You're clearly passionate about what you do, and it shows in your videos."

[@Clock_Man_2763]

The JUICE is gonna be delicious! 🔥

[@VYBEKAT]

This video is AMAZING. So psyched for engineering and for space exploration!! 🤩

[@ntnwwnet]

If you want more engineering video on this check out Scott Manley’s recent video on Europa clipper

[@notjustanother3191]

The way they measure the gravitational differences is so simple and so genius I love science 😭😭

[@user-rz6xb5mp2w]

Dude why you gotta spit bullets the guy was polite

[@MrGoo514]

Merci Mr Irish! If 1% of viewers donated, things would be awesome eh?

[@yashthorat8268]

0:58 you called the clipper as Europa

[@SebSN-y3f]

Great Video, as always! Thank you very much for your very good work!

[@OnepBunn]

Can't wait to receive data back even though it's still quite a way in the future

[@0_grid]

they tend to release photos when passing planets, something to look forward

[@OnepBunn]

But clipper is only taking 1 gravity assist and at that far from earth

[@nathan445]

I'm excited for this as a geek, if I remember correctly, this is a defining moment in the Star Trek timeline - life found on Europa.

[@DeadlyDwarf]

Is there a reason for the camera set up, I mean we have like way better cameras, at least resolution wise

[@Meyer-gp7nq]

This thing was being built ten to twenty years ago most likely

[@DeadlyDwarf]

@@Meyer-gp7nq oh i thought they were launching it recently?

[@danycashking]

@@DeadlyDwarf These projects take A LONG time to get off the ground, usually a lot of tech is outdated by the time they are launched and reach their destination (this one will take another 6 years to reach Europa). So you can't view it in the same way you'd view technological advances here on earth. And revising the design and plans with each advancement in tech is not doable because each change affects the rest of the build, you'd be forever revising the design and never launch it.

[@Gelatinocyte2]

Well, they are limited by transmission throughput and distance, that a larger resolution wouldn't be helpful anyway (they can only receive data in bytes per second IIRC). Also, having more megapixels would make it more sensitive to radiation, which means you'll end up seeing more corrupted pixels instead of a clearer image.

[@MW2ONLINEGAMER100]

Just curious have you heard of PROBA-3? My company (Irish based!) played a part in developing some sensors for this mission. They're launching in November this year!

[@YS-eu4ne]

Brian McAnus

[@Fantastika]

That phone reviewer is

[@YS-eu4ne]

@@Fantastika is what

[@Science4Real]

I hope Europa Clipper finds signs of life beneath Europa's ice! It would be truly exciting to explore the mysterious ocean down there

[@It_Was_A_Quark]

Moon doin' Moon stuff

[@thebirb747]

fr

[@andtrixr3284]

man i love the time spended with your videos, incredible

[@NostradamusJr]

The difference between a layman’s knowledge and NASAs top tier scientists and is just mind blowing. How we figured out all this stuff is extraordinary

[@ahmedmani1051]

man this what happens when the best of the best pool their efforts together, they push the edge of what we as the human specie know, simply put brilliant

[@fathertimegaming17]

I'll sign up for a lifetime membership tomorrow if you'll stop using the word. Insane in your titles.

[@wolpumba4099]

*The Insane Engineering of Europa Clipper: A Summary* * *0:19** The Search for Life's Origins:* Despite exploring Mars, Venus, and asteroids, we haven't found concrete evidence of extraterrestrial life. Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter, offers a new hope. * *0:33** Europa: An Unlikely Candidate?* While outside the solar system's habitable zone and bombarded by intense radiation from Jupiter, Europa potentially holds a large subsurface ocean, making it a target for exploring life's building blocks. * *1:40** Evidence for a Subsurface Ocean:* Voyager and Galileo missions provided evidence of a subsurface ocean through surface imagery suggesting moving ice and the detection of an induced magnetic field, indicating a salty ocean interacting with Jupiter's magnetic field. * *2:25** Galileo's Radiation Challenges:* Galileo's encounters with Jupiter's radiation belts highlighted the harsh environment, showcasing the need for radiation shielding for future missions. * *3:04** Radiation: A Double-Edged Sword:* Jupiter's radiation, while harmful to surface life, might play a role in Europa's potential habitability by creating oxidants that could support life-sustaining chemical reactions in the ocean. * *3:31** Tidal Forces as an Energy Source:* Europa's eccentric orbit creates tidal forces and friction, potentially heating the subsurface ocean enough to support life. * *5:01** Water Vapor Plumes:* Galileo detected anomalies suggesting the presence of water vapor plumes erupting from Europa, offering a potential opportunity to directly sample the subsurface ocean from orbit. * *5:42** Europa Clipper Mission Objectives:* The Europa Clipper mission aims to investigate Europa's ice thickness, the extent of tidal flexing, the composition of its atmosphere, and search for evidence of water plumes. * *6:12** Clipper's Journey and Orbit:* Due to launch vehicle constraints, Clipper will take a longer route to Jupiter, utilizing gravity assists from Mars and Earth. It will orbit Jupiter in a highly elliptical orbit to minimize radiation exposure, performing close flybys of Europa. * *7:30** Radiation Shielding: The Vault:* Clipper will feature a 1cm thick aluminum "vault" to protect its sensitive electronics from Jupiter's radiation belts. * *8:04** Magnetometers and Carbon Fiber Boom:* Three magnetometers on a unique deployable carbon fiber boom will precisely map Europa's magnetic field, providing further insights into the subsurface ocean. * *9:10** Sampling Ocean Material from Orbit:* Clipper will attempt to fly through water vapor plumes and analyze their composition using a specialized instrument that measures particle speed and mass. * *10:16** Atmospheric Analysis:* An instrument onboard will analyze the composition of Europa's tenuous atmosphere, searching for gases potentially generated by radiation interacting with the surface ice. * *10:57** Surface Mapping:* Infrared and ultraviolet instruments will map the surface composition and identify potential areas of interest for future exploration. * *11:09** Gravitational Field Mapping:* Clipper will precisely measure Europa's gravitational field by analyzing changes in its velocity, providing data on the moon's internal structure and tidal deformation. * *13:02** High-Resolution Imaging:* Two 8-megapixel cameras (wide-angle and narrow-angle) will provide detailed images of Europa's surface, revealing its dynamic features and potential areas where life could exist. * *13:51** Radar Sounding for Ice Thickness:* A radar system will probe the thickness of Europa's ice shell and map elevation changes, providing insights into the ice's structure and potential for subglacial lakes. * *14:40** Solar Power vs. Nuclear Power:* Clipper will rely on large solar panels for power, unlike previous Jupiter missions that used plutonium-238 radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). This decision was influenced by the dwindling plutonium stockpile and the success of solar-powered missions like Juno and Rosetta. * *16:58** The Plutonium-238 Shortage:* The US is facing a shortage of plutonium-238, a vital fuel source for deep-space missions. Efforts are underway to increase production, but the shortage raises questions about future mission designs. * *17:48** Nebula: Supporting Original Content:* The video highlights the importance of Nebula, a streaming platform, in supporting the creation of high-quality educational content like Real Engineering's "Battle of Britain" series. * *19:54** Nebula's Role in Creator Sustainability:* Nebula helps creators overcome the limitations of ad-supported platforms, providing a more stable source of funding and greater creative freedom. I used gemini-1.5-pro-exp-0827 on rocketrecap dot com to summarize the transcript. Cost (if I didn't use the free tier): $0.03 Input tokens: 20024 Output tokens: 983

[@matthewlee2424]

Im a huge SpaceX fan, and get caught up in the details of the Starship testing programme (big W at the weekend for the catch attempt for example), but I forget, in the end, Starship will just be a big bus to deliver stuff into the solar system (admittedly with the capability to deliver quite BIG stuff). This really good video reminded me that the science and engineering which goes into the planning of these missions, and making the instruments on the craft so sensitive and solving problems in such clever ways, is on another level. Its right that this is NASAs forte, and leaving the design of cheap, reusable heavy lifters to those who specialise in it.

[@MfundoMiya]

Thank you so much for this video and for this information. I'm watching all the way from South Africa...❤

[@kicheko4980]

the one of this channel is a very mean guy saw his tweeter he is an awful human being not professional and likes attention, his skills of making good videos should've belonged to someone else

[@x265_hevc5]

Amazing production quality and info. Keep it up!