The spacecraft's payload will include cameras and spectrometers to produce high-resolution images and composition maps of Europa's surface and thin atmosphere, an ice-penetrating radar to search for subsurface water, and a magnetometer and gravity measurements to unlock clues about its ocean and deep interior. Europa Clipper will determine whether there are places below Europa’s surface that could support life. Beyond Earth, Europa is considered one of the most promising places where we might find currently habitable environments in our solar system.
Go farther: Explore an interactive model of the spacecraft › Life Beyond EarthĮuropa shows strong evidence for an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust. The vault walls – made of titanium and aluminum – will act as a radiation shield against most of the high-energy atomic particles, dramatically slowing down degradation of the spacecraft's electronics. Solar Orbiter was launched in February 2020 and is on its way to perform close-up studies of our Sun. This strategy of armoring up to go to Jupiter with a radiation vault was developed and successfully used for the first time by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Designed for Jupiter’s Tough Radiation Environmentīecause Europa is bathed in radiation trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field, Europa Clipper's payload and other electronics will be enclosed in a thick-walled vault. With its arrays deployed, the spacecraft spans more than 100 feet (30.5 meters) and has a dry mass (no propellant in the tanks) of 7,145 pounds (3,241 kg). The spacecraft will be about 16 feet (5 meters) in height. The spacecraft needs large solar arrays to collect enough light for its power needs as it operates in the Jupiter system, which is more than five times as far from the Sun as Earth. With its massive solar arrays and radar antennas, Europa Clipper will be the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. Since being released by the rocket’s Centaur upper stage, Solar Orbiter has been traveling. Spacecraft Design NASA’s Largest Planetary Mission Spacecraft Solar Orbiter launched on February 9, 2020, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The spacecraft will travel for five and half years and arrive at Jupiter in April 2030. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechįAQ: How long will the trip to Europa take?Įuropa Clipper will launch in October 2024 and will follow a Mars-Earth Gravity Assist (MEGA) trajectory. The Europa Clipper spacecraft will follow a Mars-Earth Gravity Assist (MEGA) trajectory.
0 kommentar(er)
