For the very first time, SwRI researchers utilized the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instrument to definitively find oxygen and hydrogen in the environment of among Jupiter’s biggest moons,Europa NASA’s Juno spacecraft, utilizing its SwRI-developed instrument, made the measurements throughout a 2022 flyby ofEuropa Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
< period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip =(********************************************************* )data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex ="0" function ="link" > NASA‘sJuno spacecraft has actually offered essential information on the charged particles inEuropa’s environment, exposing insights into its capacity for supporting life.(************************************************************************************************************************* )research study, including in-situ measurements of oxygen and hydrogen, brings brand-new comprehending toEuropa’s ecological conditions and its subsurface ocean’s habitability.
(***************** )NASA’sJuno spacecraft has actually straight determined charged oxygen and hydrogen particles from the environment of among< period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>Jupiter</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and the fifth planet from the sun. It is a gas giant with a mass greater then all of the other planets combined. Its name comes from the Roman god Jupiter.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex ="0" function ="link" >Jupiter‘s biggest moons,(******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ).According to a brand-new research study co-authored by SwRI researchers and led by < period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>Princeton University</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Founded in 1746, Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey and the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. It provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex ="0" function ="link" > PrincetonUniversity , these observations offer crucial restrictions on the prospective oxygenation of its subsurface ocean.
“These findings have direct implications on the potential habitability of Europa,” statedJuno PrincipalInvestigatorDrScottBolton of SwRI, a co-author of the research study.“This study provides the first direct in-situ measurement of water components existing in Europa’s atmosphere, giving us a narrow range that could support habitability.”
Juno’sEuropaFlyby
In2022,Juno finished a flyby of(***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** )coming as close as352 kilometers to the moon.The SwRI-developedJovianAuroralDistributionsExperiment (JADE )instrument aboardJuno discovered considerable quantities of charged molecular oxygen and hydrogen lost from the environment.
“For the first time, we’ve been able to definitively detect hydrogen and oxygen with in-situ measurements and further confirm that Europa’s atmosphere is made primarily of hydrogen and oxygen molecules,” stated SwRIStaffScientist and co-authorDrRobertEbert(********** )(********************** )
This illustration reveals charged particles fromJupiter affectingEuropa’s surface area, splitting frozen water particles into oxygen and hydrogen particles. Scientists think a few of these freshly produced oxygen gases might move towards the moon’s subsurface ocean, as portrayed in the inset image.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ SWRI/PU
The source of these particles is believed to be water ice onEuropa’s surface area.Jupiter’s widespread radiation breaks H 2(************************** )O’s molecular bonds, leaving oxygen and hydrogen. The much heavier oxygen particles stay more constrained to the surface area, or near-surface environment, while the lighter-weight hydrogen predominately leaves into the environment and beyond. Oxygen produced in the ice is either lost from the environment and/or sequestered in the surface area. Oxygen kept in Europa’s ice might work its method to its subsurface ocean as a possible source of metabolic energy.
Europa’s Oxygen Production and Implications
“Europa’s ice shell absorbs radiation, protecting the ocean underneath. This absorption also produces oxygen within the ice, so in a way, the ice shell acts as Europa’s lung, providing a potential oxygen source for the ocean,” stated Princeton University Research ScholarDr Jamey Szalay, the research study’s lead author. “We put narrow constraints on the total oxygen production at Europa currently at around 12 kg per second. Before Juno, previous estimates ranged from a few kg per second to over 1,000 kg per second. The findings unambiguously demonstrate oxygen is continuously produced in the surface, just a good bit lower than we expected.”
“We designed JADE to measure the charged particles that create Jupiter’s auroras,” stated SwRI Staff Scientist and co-authorDr FredericAllegrini “Flybys of Europa were not part of the primary Juno mission. JADE was designed to work in a high-radiation environment but not necessarily Europa’s environment, which is constantly bombarded with high levels of radiation. Nonetheless, the instrument performed beautifully.”
For the very first time, SwRI researchers utilized the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instrument to definitively find oxygen and hydrogen in the environment of among Jupiter’s biggest moons,Europa NASA’s Juno spacecraft, utilizing its SwRI-developed instrument, made the measurements throughout a 2022 flyby ofEuropa Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
The brand-new measurements add to a higher understanding of Europa and its environment, unlock for more recent, more exact designs. The research study’s brand-new estimate of just how much oxygen is produced within Europa’s surface area, for example, might notify future research study associated to its subsurface ocean and prospective habitability. As these observations offer the very first charged particle structure measurements within Europa’s area, they offer an essential brand-new window into the moons’ complicated interaction with its environment.
“Europa is a fascinating object because scientists are confident a liquid ocean exists in its interior,” Ebert stated. “Water is important for the existence of life and can be found in or on objects with varying characteristics. Europa is a good place to search for water within our solar system.”
For more on this research study, see Surprising Oxygen Insights From Europa’s Close Flyby.
Reference: “Oxygen production from dissociation of Europa’s water-ice surface” by J. R. Szalay, F. Allegrini, R. W. Ebert, F. Bagenal, S. J. Bolton, S. Fatemi, D. J. McComas, A. Pontoni, J. Saur, H. T. Smith, D. F. Strobel, S. D. Vance, A. Vorburger and R. J. Wilson, 4 March 2024, Nature Astronomy
DOI: 10.1038/ s41550-024-02206- x
