Tag: Europa Clipper
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Space Radiation May Create Some Organic Molecules Detected on Icy Moons
Rethinking the Origins of Enceladus’s Organics For years, the plumes jetting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus have been a tantalizing clue in the search for habitability beyond Earth. The Cassini mission detected a suite of organic molecules in these icy geysers, suggesting a chemically rich environment beneath the frozen crust and a potential link to a…
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Space Radiation May Create Some Organic Molecules Found in Enceladus Plumes
New insight into Enceladus’s chemistry Scientists are reconsidering how organic molecules detected in plumes erupting from Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus should be interpreted. A recent study proposes that some compounds previously thought to come from a subsurface ocean could instead be produced by natural radiation near the moon’s surface. While this doesn’t rule out a…
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Space Radiation Could Create Organics on Enceladus and Other Icy Moons
Radiation Chemistry Isn’t Just for Earth: Implications for Enceladus For years, scientists have looked at the plumes erupting from Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus as a direct window into a hidden subsurface ocean. The idea was simple: material sampled in space could reveal the ocean’s chemistry, including potential building blocks of life. A growing body of…
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Surveying Io’s Surface with the UNAGI Lander
Introduction: A New Path to Io’s Surface A recent study presented at the AIAA 2025 Regional Student Conference by Spartan Space Systems at San Jose State University proposes a bold idea for landing on Io, Jupiter’s highly active volcanic moon. The team introduces UNAGI, a lander concept designed to use Jupiter’s magnetic field as a…