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Galaxiki Community BlogSubscribe via RSS Could There Be Life On One Of Jupiters Moons?March 03, 2008by joskirps  Europa is the sixth moon of the planet Jupiter, and leading astronomers think it probably offers everything life needs to exist. Europa's unlit interior is now considered to be the most likely location for extraterrestrial life in the Solar System, and future missions to Jupiter could even confirm the existence of Life out there.At just over 3000 kilometres (1900 miles) in diameter, Europa is slightly smaller than Earth's Moon and is the sixth-largest moon in the Solar System. Europa orbits Jupiter in just over three and a half days.  Its surface is composed of ice and is striated by cracks and streaks, while craters are relatively infrequent. The apparent youth and smoothness of the surface have led to the hypothesis that a water ocean exists beneath it, which could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life. Heat energy from tidal flexing ensures that the ocean remains liquid and drives geological activity. Europa spins faster than it orbits, which suggests an asymmetry in internal mass distribution and that a layer of subsurface liquid separates the icy crust from the rocky interior.Europa is similar in bulk composition to the terrestrial planets, being primarily composed of silicate rock. It has an outer layer of water thought to be around 100 km (62 miles) thick; some as frozen-ice upper crust, some as liquid ocean underneath the ice. The layer is likely a salty liquid water ocean, very similar to the oceans on Earth, although the total volume of Europa's oceans would be slightly more than two times the volume of Earth's oceans.  It also has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen, although it's not of biological origin - it forms through radiolysis, the dissociation of molecules through radiation. Some of this oxygen may even make its way to the ocean, where it could aid in biological processes.Europa may also feature geothermal sources that could provide energy sources for life, perhaps subsisting in an environment similar to Earth's deep-ocean hydrothermal vents - life in such an ocean could possibly be similar to microbial life on Earth in the deep ocean. So far, there is no evidence that life exists on Europa, but the likely presence of liquid water has spurred calls to send a probe there. Unfortunately plans to send a probe to study Europa for signs of liquid water and possible life have been plagued by false starts and budget cuts. One option would even be a nuclear-powered "melt probe" which would melt through the ice until it hit the ocean below, gather information and send it back to Earth.
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