New video series captures team working on NASA's Europa Clipper

NASA's Europa Clipper is an ambitious mission to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa, which scientists believe could harbor a vast ocean beneath its icy crust. The spacecraft is the largest that NASA has ever flown on an interplanetary mission and is being readied for launch in October 2024. In this article, we will delve deeper into the Europa Clipper mission and explore the new video series, "Spacecraft Makers: Europa Clipper," which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the spacecraft's development and the work being done to prepare it for its mission.

The Europa Clipper Mission: Seeking Answers about Life on Europa

Europa is a tantalizing target for exploration, as it's one of the few places in our solar system besides Earth that scientists believe could harbor life. The Europa Clipper mission aims to investigate this possibility by gathering data on the depth of the subsurface ocean, the thickness of the ice crust, and the characteristics of any plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft will fly by Europa approximately 50 times while orbiting Jupiter. It cannot orbit Europa directly due to the radiation belts surrounding Jupiter, which could damage the spacecraft. During each flyby, the spacecraft's suite of scientific instruments will gather data to help us better understand the moon's potential to support life.

The spacecraft will carry nine scientific instruments, including a magnetometer, a dust analyzer, and a laser altimeter, among others. Together, these instruments will allow scientists to study Europa's surface, subsurface, and environment in detail.