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Joint Europa Mission (JEM) a multi-scale study of Europa to characterize its habitability and search for extant life
- Source :
- DIGITAL.INTA Repositorio Digital del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Planetary and Space Science, Planetary and Space Science, Elsevier, 2020, 193, pp.104960. ⟨10.1016/j.pss.2020.104960⟩, Universidad de Alicante (UA), Planetary and Space Science, 2020, 193, pp.104960. ⟨10.1016/j.pss.2020.104960⟩, Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC, instname
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Elsevier, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Full list of authors: Blanc, Michel; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; André, Nicolas; Gomez-Elvira, Javier; Jones, Geraint; Sterken, Veerle; Desprats, William; Gurvits, Leonid I.; Khurana, Krishan; Balmino, Georges; Blöcker, Aljona; Broquet, Renaud; Bunce, Emma; Cavel, Cyril; Choblet, Gaël; Colins, Geoffrey; Coradini, Marcello; Cooper, John; Dirkx, Dominic; Fontaine, Dominique; Garnier, Philippe; Gaudin, David; Hartogh, Paul; Hussmann, Hauke; Genova, Antonio; Iess, Luciano; Jäggi, Adrian; Kempf, Sascha; Krupp, Norbert; Lara, Luisa; Lasue, Jérémie; Lainey, Valéry; Leblanc, François; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Longobardo, Andrea; Lorenz, Ralph; Martins, Philippe; Martins, Zita; Marty, Jean-Charles; Masters, Adam; Mimoun, David; Palumba, Ernesto; Parro, Victor; Regnier, Pascal; Saur, Joachim; Schutte, Adriaan; Sittler, Edward C.; Spohn, Tilman; Srama, Ralf; Stephan, Katrin; Szegő, Károly; Tosi, Federico; Vance, Steve; Wagner, Roland; Van Hoolst, Tim; Volwerk, Martin; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Westall, Frances; Wurz, Peter<br />Europa is the closest and probably the most promising target to search for extant life in the Solar System, based on complementary evidence that it may fulfil the key criteria for habitability: the Galileo discovery of a sub-surface ocean; the many indications that the ice shell is active and may be partly permeable to transfer of chemical species, biomolecules and elementary forms of life; the identification of candidate thermal and chemical energy sources necessary to drive a metabolic activity near the ocean floor. In this article we are proposing that ESA collaborates with NASA to design and fly jointly an ambitious and exciting planetary mission, which we call the Joint Europa Mission (JEM), to reach two objectives: perform a full characterization of Europa's habitability with the capabilities of a Europa orbiter, and search for bio-signatures in the environment of Europa (surface, subsurface and exosphere) by the combination of an orbiter and a lander. JEM can build on the advanced understanding of this system which the missions preceding JEM will provide: Juno, JUICE and Europa Clipper, and on the Europa lander concept currently designed by NASA (Maize, report to OPAG, 2019). We propose the following overarching goals for our Joint Europa Mission (JEM): Understand Europa as a complex system responding to Jupiter system forcing, characterize the habitability of its potential biosphere, and search for life at its surface and in its sub-surface and exosphere. We address these goals by a combination of five Priority Scientific Objectives, each with focused measurement objectives providing detailed constraints on the science payloads and on the platforms used by the mission. The JEM observation strategy will combine three types of scientific measurement sequences: measurements on a high-latitude, low-altitude Europan orbit; in-situ measurements to be performed at the surface, using a soft lander; and measurements during the final descent to Europa's surface. The implementation of these three observation sequences will rest on the combination of two science platforms: a soft lander to perform all scientific measurements at the surface and sub-surface at a selected landing site, and an orbiter to perform the orbital survey and descent sequences. We describe a science payload for the lander and orbiter that will meet our science objectives. We propose an innovative distribution of roles for NASA and ESA; while NASA would provide an SLS launcher, the lander stack and most of the mission operations, ESA would provide the carrier-orbiter-relay platform and a stand-alone astrobiology module for the characterization of life at Europa's surface: the Astrobiology Wet Laboratory (AWL). Following this approach, JEM will be a major exciting joint venture to the outer Solar System of NASA and ESA, working together toward one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the 21st century: to search for life beyond our own planet. © 2020<br />The authors received support from the sponsors of their home institutions during the development of their projects, particularly at the two institutes leading this effort: at IRAP, Toulouse, MB and NA acknowledge the support of CNRS, University Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and CNES. At CAB, Madrid, OPB and JGE acknowledge the support of INTA and Spanish MINECO project ESP2014-55811-C2-1-P and ESP2017-89053-C2-1-P and the AEI project MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia "Maria de Maeztu". We would also like to extend special thanks to the PASO of CNES for its precious assistance and expertise in the design of the mission scenario.
- Subjects :
- Solar System
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Outer planets exploration
Habitability
HUYGENS PROBE
Europa mission
Mission
01 natural sciences
7. Clean energy
Astrobiology
law.invention
Extant taxon
SULFURIC-ACID
law
Galileo (satellite navigation)
010303 astronomy & astrophysics
Europa Orbiter
INSTRUMENT
SECONDARY
PLUME
HYDRATED SALT MINERALS
Physical Sciences
symbols
Europa
Jupiter system
SURFACE
Astronomy & Astrophysics
[SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]
symbols.namesake
Orbiter
Search for life
0103 physical sciences
Ocean moon
0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
Astrophysique
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Science & Technology
Galilean Satellites
Scale (chemistry)
Astronomy and Astrophysics
ATMOSPHERE
EVOLUTION
13. Climate action
Space and Planetary Science
[SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Environmental science
Joint (building)
habitability
jupiter system
ocean moon
outer planets exploration
search for life
SATELLITES
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00320633
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- DIGITAL.INTA Repositorio Digital del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Planetary and Space Science, Planetary and Space Science, Elsevier, 2020, 193, pp.104960. ⟨10.1016/j.pss.2020.104960⟩, Universidad de Alicante (UA), Planetary and Space Science, 2020, 193, pp.104960. ⟨10.1016/j.pss.2020.104960⟩, Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC, instname
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....85a88548ab80766c358387b340746ada