NASA launches spacecraft to study whether Jupiter's moon Europa can harbor life
NASA launched a spacecraft on Monday, October 14, to Jupiter's moon Europa, considered one of our solar system's most promising spots to search for life beyond Earth. NASA says the mission aims to learn whether the ice-encased world, believed to harbor a vast underground ocean, is habitable.
The US space agency's robotic solar-powered Europa Clipper spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying nine scientific instruments. After traveling 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) in a trip lasting about 5-1/2 years, Europa Clipper is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030.
Scientists have a keen interest in the salty liquid water ocean that previous observations have indicated resides below Europa's icy shell.
Europa Clipper is the biggest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission, measuring about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long, about 58 feet (17.6 meters) wide and weighing approximately 13,000 pounds (6,000 kg). It is larger than a basketball court because of its sizable solar arrays to gather sunlight for powering scientific instruments, electronics and its other subsystems.
NASA/REUTERS VIDEO
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
#themanilatimes
#worldnews
#nasa
#jupiter
