NASA has launched an important mission to study Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral in Florida on October 14. The spacecraft is expected to reach its destination by the early 2030s, traveling approximately 8 billion miles. Regular scientific research is anticipated to begin by 2031.
Dr. Nozair Khawaja is part of the Europa Clipper mission research team. He is also involved in Japan’s “Destiny Plus” mission. Originally from the Punjab province of Pakistan, Dr. Khawaja has previously worked on several space missions for the European Space Agency and NASA. Saadeqa Khan has conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. Nozair Khawaja to discuss the goals and significance of this mission.
What are the main objectives of the Europa Clipper mission?
According to Nozair Khawaja, the primary purpose of the Europa Clipper mission is to assess the habitability of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. He outlined three additional key scientific objectives of the mission.
Firstly, the mission aims to determine the thickness of Europa’s ice sheet and how it interacts with the underlying ocean. Secondly, researchers intend to gather data on the composition of Europa’s oceans and its mantle— the third objective focuses on evaluating the features of Europa’s surface geology.
Dr Khwaja said that the mission is all about the in-depth study of Europa, and will enhance scientists’ understanding of potential life-sustaining environments on other celestial bodies beyond Earth. He also clarified that while the media worldwide often suggests that the Europa Clipper spacecraft will search for signs of “alien life,” finding such signs is merely a secondary objective. The mission may instead focus on exploring Europa’s oceans for the necessary ingredients for life.
What is Dr Khwaja’s role in the mission?
Dr Nozair Khawaja spoke about the design process of a space mission, stating that all experts, researchers, and scientists involved in the project are commissioned to contribute. Dr. Khawaja is directly involved in this mission as a team member of “SUDA”, a specialized instrument onboard installed in the spacecraft for in-depth research.
He further explained that the team will analyze data from the Europa Clipper instrument to determine the composition of the sub-surface ocean on icy Europa— this device aims to identify components essential for life, known as biosignatures.
Does Europa have twice as much water in its oceans as Earth?
In 1997, the Galileo mission was launched to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, which conducted 12 flybys and identified an ocean hidden beneath its icy surface. Europa’s ocean is estimated to be between 40 and 100 miles deep, making it about 16 times deeper than Earth’s oceans.
Dr Khawaja said that the sea salt water on Europa exists in a liquid state beneath a thick layer of ice, which is estimated to be 10 to 15 miles thick. Several hypotheses are proposed about the amount of water in Europa’s oceans. These hypotheses were based on critical data collected from the Galileo mission. Europa’s ocean may contain twice the total volume of water found on Earth. However, conclusive results will only emerge once the Europa spacecraft arrives and transmits vital information using advanced instruments.
Scientists have long been fascinated by Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. Dr. Nozair Khawaja told Deutsche Welle that the Europa Clipper spacecraft, which is set to launch in October 2024, will be the largest spacecraft ever sent to study a planet. It will be equipped with nine advanced scientific instruments.
Dr. Khawaja explains that Europa is subjected to powerful gravitational forces from Jupiter as it orbits the planet. This gravitational interaction causes Europa’s icy outer shell and its mantle to flex and contract, leading to heat up Europa’s inner surface. This heat is essential because it helps maintain the ocean beneath the ice sheet in a liquid state.
According to Dr. Nozeer Khawaja, Europa’s interior is likely composed of silicate rocks, while its crust is made up of saltwater and ice. Just as microscopic life on Earth originated from chemical interactions between seawater and rocks, similar interactions may occur in Europa’s icy seas.
What scientific investigations will the Europa Clipper spacecraft carry out?
Dr Nozair Khawaja explained that the Europa Clipper spacecraft has nine instruments onboard. Some of these instruments are designed for remote sensing, which will help determine the thickness of the ice layer covering its oceans and the salinity of water. Europa’s salty ocean generates a secondary magnetic field that affects both the direction and strength of Jupiter’s magnetic field. Europa Clipper is equipped with instruments to monitor these changes.
Dr Khawaja emphasized that the Europa Clipper mission is particularly intriguing. Jupiter’s atmosphere is quite harsh due to radiation, making it challenging to collect data. Therefore, a flyby mission has been developed to conduct 50 flybys near Europa without entering its orbit.
Saadeqa Khan is the founder, CEO, & Editor-in-Chief of Scientia Pakistan. She’s a member of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network (Second Cohort) and NASW. Saadeqa is a fellow of NPF Washington, The Falling Walls Foundation, and the Science Journalism Forum. Saadeqa has won several international journalism grants and awards for her reports.
