NASA has simply launched a mission to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. A NASA scientist solutions child’s questions concerning the mission and its targets.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Earlier this week, NASA launched a spacecraft in direction of one among Jupiter’s moons referred to as Europa. Scientists assume there might be life there, however what form? Radiolab’s Lulu Miller hosts a science podcast for youths referred to as “Terrestrials,” and she or he got down to discover the reply.
LULU MILLER: The spacecraft headed for Jupiter’s moon is named the Europa Clipper. It is taken a long time to construct, and it’s now on its approach to probe for potential alien life.
CYNTHIA PHILLIPS: (Laughter) No strain, no strain.
MILLER: That’s NASA scientist Cynthia Phillips, who works on the mission. And as a substitute of me asking the questions immediately, we collected questions from youngsters all throughout the nation for Cynthia about why this one little moon – a moon smaller than our moon, a moon that is only one of Jupiter’s practically 100 recognized moons – is so intriguing to scientists. Listed below are the children.
AMRITRA NARATOR: Hello. My title is Amritra Narator (ph), and I’m 10 years previous. My query is, why Europa?
PHILLIPS: Yeah. So Europa – its floor is roofed with ice.
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PHILLIPS: After which a few of our fashions began displaying us that, truly, underneath all that ice, there might be water. We expect that Europa has extra water than all of Earth’s oceans mixed.
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PHILLIPS: So an enormous ocean.
MILLER: Gosh, an ocean in area.
PHILLIPS: Yeah. The rationale why we have been engaged on this Europa mission for 25 years is that as quickly as we discovered that ocean, we have been like, there might be life in that ocean.
AARNAV RUDRERACHI: Hello. My title is Aarnav Rudrerachi (ph). I am 10 years previous. My query is, how large is the spacecraft?
PHILLIPS: The entire spacecraft is as large as a basketball court docket.
MILLER: Oh.
PHILLIPS: So it is gigantic.
MILLER: Wow.
PHILLIPS: That is truly one of many largest spacecraft that we have ever constructed and launched.
MILLER: And the rationale why, Cynthia defined, is photo voltaic panels. Out close to Jupiter, the solar’s mild is extremely faint, in order that they wanted a basketball court docket’s value of photo voltaic panels to suck up sufficient power to energy the spacecraft.
ROBALINA SANTOS SORIEL: Hello. My title is Robalina Santos Soriel, and I am 16 years previous. If there’s marine life within the ocean, within the moon, what taste will it’s? Like, if we ate it…
PHILLIPS: Oh.
ROBALINA: …Would it not style completely different than the fish we’ve got in our oceans?
PHILLIPS: (Laughter) You recognize, that is a – that is not a query I might thought of earlier than. That is a extremely good query. So yeah. If there’s life on Europa, very possible, it is a utterly separate unbiased origin of life that is completely completely different from Earth. And so it is potential that – you understand, we do not even know if that life can be based mostly on DNA, on the identical amino acids that ours are based mostly on. And so…
MILLER: Wow.
PHILLIPS: …If we discover life on Europa, there is no assure that it even can be edible for people, however perhaps we’ll have found, like, a brand new taste of the tastiest fish ever.
MILLER: And any guesses from little issues you understand about – something about its chemical composition? Like, I do not know. What it’d – would it not style a little bit extra nitrogen-y (ph)?
PHILLIPS: Yeah. Like, in the event you’re making a frozen drink out of Europa, what would it not style like? You recognize, you make a slushie.
MILLER: Yeah.
PHILLIPS: Proper? And so you’re taking…
MILLER: Yeah.
PHILLIPS: …A few of Europa’s ice. And then you definitely’d need to – it must be a little bit bit salty. It might have, like, sulfur…
MILLER: Raining down from one among close by Io’s volcanoes.
PHILLIPS: …And be sort of smelly.
MILLER: Would it not perhaps be fizzy, like, if there’s carbon dioxide up there?
PHILLIPS: Yeah. You recognize, in all probability the possibilities are – it is more likely to be gross than it’s to be scrumptious, however you by no means know.
ALAN GOFFINSKI: (Singing) It is an icy, salty, fizzy slushy. Perhaps bitter, perhaps smelly. Most likely will not wish to drinky (ph) – slurp slurp.
SHAPIRO: That was Lulu Miller, host of Radiolab’s podcast for youths, “Terrestrials.” They’ve new episodes out now, together with one about Europa. To pay attention, simply take a look at the Radiolab for Youngsters podcast feed.
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