A study published in the journal Astrobiology suggests that the ice sheet covering Jupiter’s moon might contain a significant amount of underwater “snow.”
This might have important implications for NASA’s next Europa Clipper mission, scheduled to launch in 2024, whose objective is to use radar to study the ice cap and the ocean, reported Prensa Latina.
According to research led by experts from the University of Texas (UTIG), salt trapped in ice can affect how deep radar will see into the ice sheet. This will help determine the salinity and habitability of its ocean, international media report.
Previous studies have indicated that the temperature, pressure, and salinity of Europa’s ocean closest to the ice are similar to what you would find below an ice shelf in Antarctica.
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