Jay Gagne

1A
Astronomy

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Europa Study
On my last power point project for astronomy, I researched the moon, "Europa". Europa
is not only the sixth closest moon to Jupiter but it is also the sixth largest moon in the solar
system. It is one of the Galilean satellites. It was discovered on 1610 by Galileo Galilei who
named it after a lover of Zeus. This fascinating moon has been researched for decades because it
is predicted to host life. The surface of Europa is mostly comprised of silicate rock and ice. The
surface of the moon is incredibly thick with sheets of ice. Because of it's peculiar orbit around
Jupiter, it molds sand pulsates. This pulsating process is known as tidal flexing. Tidal flexing
disrupts the likely-metal core of Europa to heat up and melt the ice below its surface. This idea
describes how heat from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives geological
activity similar to plate tectonics. The surface it self would still be ice-covered but underneath
the surface would be an ocean. Many scientists believe these waters could hold life. Studies in
the near future shows work towards sending research devices to Europa.

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Another reason why Europa may be the key to discovering extraterrestrial life lies in its
atmosphere. Europas atmosphere is very weak and made of oxygen. This means that it has the
same kind of of atmosphere as Earth. Unlike Earth however, the oxygen in Europas atmosphere
was not biologically produced. It formed as a result of charge particles from the sun hitting water

molecules on its surface, breaking the molecules into oxygen and hydrogen atoms. While the
hydrogen escapes the moons surface, oxygen is left behind. The combination of this oxygen in
the atmosphere with the melted water would be a perfect place for life to form. For this reason, I
believe we need to start researching immediately on how to send a probe to Europa searching for
life.
My proposition is the we need to send a probe that would land on the surface of Europa.
In 1989, the Galileo mission was launched in order to conduct on Jupiter. This mission provided
essentially all data on Europa that exists today. No spacecraft has yet landed on Europa, but its
intriguing characteristics have led to several proposals for a complete exploration. I believe we
need to send a rover-like machine to Europa as we did with Mars. This rover would need to
possess the abilities to drill into the surface and survive the intense climate. Provided with these
specifications for the rover and the 6 year journey, this operation would be incredibly expensive.
Yet I believe that expense is at a worthy cause. To witness life at a completely different stage
than us. We could understand early life on Earth. The concept of extraterrestrial life would bring
about world cooperation. In the name of science we would enter the frontier of observing life in
its earliest stages in the universe. Or better yet, perhaps the life in the sea is older than us. We
could witness massive sea creatures unlike anything we could ever imagine. The possibility of
discovery is endless.
In conclusion, Europa is the sixth moon of Jupiter which is suspected to host life. Its
surface is made of ice and silicate rock. Its strange orbit around Jupiter causes tidal flexing
which makes the moon wobble and pulsate. This tidal flexing causes the core to heat up, making
the ice under the surface melt. It also has an atmosphere made of oxygen. The oxygen forms by

charge particles from the sun hitting water molecules on its surface, breaking the molecules into
oxygen and hydrogen atoms. While the hydrogen escapes the moons surface, oxygen is left
behind. The nature of having water and oxygen is straight on the path towards life. Many
researches believe that Europa is the surest way for finding life in our solar system besides us.
This is why we need to find world peace so we can invest in conducting an operatio towards
Europa for study.

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Europa is made mostly from silicate rock and has a
water-ice crust.
Europa is made mostly from silicate rock and has a
water-ice crust.
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