The Europa Clipper Mission: Science Objectives and Mission Status Update
Abstract
The overarching science goal of the Europa Clipper mission is to explore Europa to investigate its habitability. Following from this goal are three Mission Objectives: (1) Ice Shell and Ocean: characterize the ice shell and any subsurface water, including their heterogeneity, ocean properties, and the nature of surface-ice-ocean exchange; (2) Composition: understand the habitability of Europa's ocean through composition and chemistry; and (3) Geology: understand the formation of surface features, including sites of recent or current activity, and characterize high science interest localities. The current structure of the Project Science Group includes a set of Thematic Working Groups, among which are an over-arching Habitability Working Group as well as a Composition Working Group, a Geology Working Group, and an Interior Working Group. In addition, three Focus Groups have been formed that are assigned to the various Working Groups: a Radiation Focus Group, a Plumes Focus Group, and a Reconnaissance Focus Group.
A highly capable scientific payload of nine instruments was selected by NASA: Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS), Europa Imaging System (EIS), Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE), Europa Thermal Imaging System (E-THEMIS), Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON), Interior Characterization of Europa using Magnetometry (ICEMAG), Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS), MAss Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (MASPEX), and SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA). In addition, a gravity science investigation can be conducted using the spacecraft's telecommunication system, combined with radar altimetry. Valuable scientific data could also come from the spacecraft's planned radiation monitoring system. Working together, the Europa Clipper mission's robust investigation suite can be used to test hypotheses and enable discoveries relevant to the interior, composition, geology and possible current activity of Europa, thereby addressing the question of potential habitability of this intriguing ocean world.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.P53F3018R
- Keywords:
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- 6099 General or miscellaneous;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: COMETS AND SMALL BODIESDE: 5799 General or miscellaneous;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: FLUID PLANETSDE: 6299 General or miscellaneous;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTSDE: 5499 General or miscellaneous;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS