Jovian Europa Exploration By Mid Century

Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher Galileo Galilei discovered Europa, a significant moon orbiting the giant planet Jupiter, over 400-years ago through a small telescope, January 8, 1610 to be precise.Since the late 1970's, Europa has drawn a lot of international scientific interest because of its potential to harbor life beyond that of planet Earth. Slightly smaller than Earth's Moon, Europa is primarily made of silicate rock and probably has an iron core. It has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is composed of ice and is one of the smoothest in the Solar System.

Yet the most intriguing aspect to Europa is a potential water ocean existing beneath the cracking surface ice crust. Conjecture on extraterrestrial life has ensured a high profile for the moon and has led to steady lobbying for future missions. Strategic international exploration of the solar system could possibly lead to human missions to the Moon, asteroids, Mars and then on - to Europa by the mid-21st century.

Origin: shieldufoproject.blogspot.com