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Russia to search for life on Jupiter's moon Europa: report
Moscow (AFP) Jan 7, 2008 Russia plans to participate in a European mission to investigate Jupiter's moon Europa and search for simple life forms, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, quoting a senior researcher. The head of the Space Research Institute, Lev Zelyony, said a project to explore the giant gaseous planet Jupiter would shortly be included in the programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) for the years 2015 to 2025. "The main task is to explore its satellite Europa, on which under a thick layer of ice a liquid water ocean has been detected," said Zelyony. Russia is to participate in the programme, called Laplace after French astronomer Pierre-Simon Laplace, and has suggested landing a craft in one of the fissures in Europa's icy crust. Having landed, the craft would melt some of the ice and search for life forms, he said. "Where there is an ocean, life could arise. In this respect, after Mars, the Europa satellite is probably the most intriguing place in the solar system," said Zelyony. Russia has gradually been reviving its space research programme, which all but collapsed after the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. Moscow has been cooperating closely with the ESA as part of this revival. At the end of this year an upgraded Russian Soyuz rocket is due to be launched for the first time from the ESA's Kourou launchpad in French Guiana. Last October Moscow also signed a deal with Washington to provide the US space agency NASA with instruments for scanning the Moon and Mars for water. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Jupiter and its Moons Explore The Ring World of Saturn and her moons The million outer planets of a star called Sol News Flash at Mercury
Return To Europa: A Closer Look Is Possible
St. Louis MO (SPX) Dec 14, 2007Jupiter's moon Europa is just as far away as ever, but new research is bringing scientists closer to being able to explore its tantalizing ice-covered ocean and determine its potential for harboring life. "We've learned a lot about Europa in the past few years," says William McKinnon, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. |
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