For years, there has been speculation about the possibility of extraterrestrial life on Europa, due to the enormous ocean that (in theory) exists beneath its surface. Any mission focused on studying that ocean would need the ability to drill through kilometers of ice, but the latest announcement from NASA places an interesting shortcut on the table. Thanks to the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, experts detected what appear to be "water plumes" that expel trapped liquid to the surface, which in turn would enable a much less "destructive" analysis of its properties.
Over time, we have learned to take NASA's announcements with a certain distance. This is not due to an error by the agency, but rather because the channels responsible for conveying information tend to "lay it on thick." While we understand that this makes the "selling" of scientific novelties easier, in the end it becomes a disappointment for some. That said, here is the news: NASA seems to have detected the existence of "water plumes" on Jupiter's moon Europa. In very relaxed terms, a water plume on Europa is something similar to a "supergeyser" that spews liquid more than 200 kilometers above the surface.
Why this detection is important
First, it adds evidence for the theory of a gigantic ocean beneath the moon's icy surface. This ocean remains a hot topic of debate, as there are substantial differences between proposed models, but the water plumes would favor the presence of liquid water, kept in that state by the so-called "tidal heating."
Second, these plumes would give us access to that ocean without having to drill, an option considered by many exploration missions.
The first indications of water plumes on Europa were revealed in 2012 thanks to the work of a team stationed at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, while the latest data come from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Both teams used different techniques, but they have an element in common: the spectrographic imaging instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Another detail to keep in mind is that the water plumes are not a permanent phenomenon. Out of a total of ten observations made in recent years, only three revealed sufficient evidence. And there lies the key: evidence, not proof. Proof will only come with more precise observations from Hubble, the future James Webb telescope, and if all goes well, the "Europa Multiple-Flyby" mission, which should begin at the start of the next decade.
Any mission destined for Europa needs to be planned with great detail. After all, Jupiter is not a good neighbor by any means, and its radiation can wipe out our technology in record time (just look at the orbit of the Juno probe to confirm this).
