NASA to Hold Media Call on Evidence of Surprising Activity on Europa
Source: NASA
NASA will host a teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 26, to present new findings from images captured by the agencys Hubble Space Telescope of Jupiters icy moon, Europa.
Astronomers will present results from a unique Europa observing campaign that resulted in surprising evidence of activity that may be related to the presence of a subsurface ocean on Europa. Participants in the teleconference will be:
Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington
William Sparks, astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore
Britney Schmidt, assistant professor at the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta
Jennifer Wiseman, senior Hubble project scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
To participate by phone, media must contact Dwayne Brown at 202-358-1726 or [email protected] and provide their media affiliation no later than noon Monday.
Audio of the teleconference will stream live on NASAs website at: http://www.nasa.gov/live
Read more: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-hold-media-call-on-evidence-of-surprising-activity-on-europa
Baclava
(12,047 posts)Astronomers will present results from a unique Europa observing campaign that resulted in surprising evidence of activity that may be related to the presence of a subsurface ocean on Europa.
We need to get a probe there pronto...go where the action is!
Enceladus too!
KatyMan
(4,223 posts)the post said something like "spoiler alert: it's NOT life" Alas....
on edit, here's the post:
"On Monday, well announce some surprising new findings from Jupiters moon Europa. Spoiler alert: NOT aliens! Astronomers will present results from a unique Europa observing campaign that resulted in evidence of activity that may be related to the presence of a subsurface ocean"
brooklynite
(95,070 posts)...it means their focus is on the existence of water, which would be a necessary first step.
KatyMan
(4,223 posts)it's baby steps, right? getting the ducks in a row and saying, yes, there's life...! But first, we found water.
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)Gravitational tugs from those massive planets, and, we find water abounding, AND, we keep pushing the edge in energy storage and generation, we could live there.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)A new NASA study modeling conditions in the ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa suggests that the necessary balance of chemical energy for life could exist there, even if the moon lacks volcanic hydrothermal activity.
Europa is strongly believed to hide a deep ocean of salty liquid water beneath its icy shell. Whether the Jovian moon has the raw materials and chemical energy in the right proportions to support biology is a topic of intense scientific interest. The answer may hinge on whether Europa has environments where chemicals are matched in the right proportions to power biological processes. Life on Earth exploits such niches.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/europas-ocean-may-have-an-earthlike-chemical-balance
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Baclava
(12,047 posts)yeah, like that
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)At least now we know where it came from!
SansACause
(520 posts)I really hope it's not that.
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)That and the oil rigs at both poles.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)NWCorona
(8,541 posts)Baclava
(12,047 posts)LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,604 posts)Delphinus
(11,848 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)That message could have been stolen from the bathroom stall for all we know...
jmondine
(1,649 posts)Anyone care to complete the sentence?
sdfernando
(4,962 posts)...is that correct?
Baclava
(12,047 posts)Have a nice day!
longship
(40,416 posts)He was featured in more than one episode.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,604 posts)Baclava
(12,047 posts)AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)BootinUp
(47,230 posts)FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)"Some ancient alien theorists believe..."
Calista241
(5,586 posts)They'll be talking about this guy and using him for stupid memes in 50 years.
packman
(16,296 posts)We send a probe to Europa. Its jets on landing wipe out a struggling life form that just managed to work itself to the surface and began to take root. Probe sends back message "No life on planet surface"
longship
(40,416 posts)The radiation from Jupiter would almost certainly wipe out any surface life.
But in those oceans, that's a different matter. All that ice would be a good buffer against any radiation.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)The story details a comet impacting on Earth, an end to civilization, and the battle for the future. It encompasses the discovery of the comet, the Los Angeles social scene, and a cast of diverse characters whose fate is to be among the few who survive the massive cataclysm and the resulting tsunamis, plagues, famines, and battles among scavengers and cannibals.
packman
(16,296 posts)a terrific book - very graphic in its descriptive narrative. I believe they made it into a comic book, but not a movie.
Delphinus
(11,848 posts)Great description!
Mz Pip
(27,466 posts)Couldn't put it down. I love Larry Niven.
Setsuna1972
(332 posts)I don't THINK an actual Monolith has been found on Europa (yet), but...if NASA did pick up indications of a subsurface ocean with water...
MFM008
(19,839 posts)In July. Cool.
Tikki
(14,565 posts)Ocean monster of the moon Europa.
ynk...Tikki
TheSarcastinator
(854 posts)"A sequence of scenes follows the explorations of David Bowman, who has been transformed into a non-corporeal, energy-based life-form, much like the aliens controlling the monoliths. During his journey, (...) the aliens are using Bowman as a probe to learn about humankind. He then returns to the Jupiter system to explore beneath the ice of Europa, where he finds aquatic life-forms, and (...)the aliens deem the Europan creatures to have evolutionary potential.
ALL THESE WORLDS
ARE YOURS EXCEPT
EUROPA
ATTEMPT NO
LANDING THERE
USE THEM TOGETHER
USE THEM IN PEACE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010:_Odyssey_Two
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)Amazingly, it looks like the same applies to a lot of us here. I don't even remember the book that well, but I certainly recall that bit. Funny, that.
suffragette
(12,232 posts)Baclava
(12,047 posts)Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have imaged what may be water vapor plumes erupting off the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. This finding bolsters other Hubble observations suggesting the icy moon erupts with high altitude water vapor plumes.
The observation increases the possibility that missions to Europa may be able to sample Europas ocean without having to drill through miles of ice.
Europas ocean is considered to be one of the most promising places that could potentially harbor life in the solar system, said Geoff Yoder, acting associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington. These plumes, if they do indeed exist, may provide another way to sample Europas subsurface.
http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-hubble-spots-possible-water-plumes-erupting-on-jupiters-moon-europa