New Data Suggests Jupiter's Moon Europa Has Less Oxygen than Expected
2024-03-11
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1A new study suggests Jupiter's icy moon Europa produces much less oxygen than previously thought.
2The study was based on data collected by the American space agency NASA's Juno spacecraft.
3Juno is an orbiter that has been studying Jupiter since July 2016.
4The study involved Juno's instruments measuring levels of oxygen and hydrogen molecules coming from Europa's atmosphere.
5The data showed the icy moon produces about 1,000 tons of oxygen every 24 hours.
6NASA said that amount would be enough "to keep a million humans breathing for a day.
7However, the space agency noted those oxygen level estimates were "substantially less" than those measured in earlier studies about the moon.
8Europa is a little smaller than Earth's moon.
9But it is still one of the largest in our solar system.
10NASA observations have suggested an ocean exists beneath a thick layer of ice on Europa's surface.
11Scientists estimate the moon's ocean may contain twice the amount of water as Earth's oceans.
12The new study is based on data Juno collected in 2022 during a particularly close flyby of Europa.
13The flyby is believed to have brought the spacecraft within 350 kilometers of the moon.
14The research was led by teams from Princeton University in New Jersey and Maryland's Southwest Research Institute.
15The scientists estimated Europa is producing around 12 kilograms of oxygen per second.
16Earlier predictions suggested the moon was releasing up to 1,000 kilograms per second.
17Since Europa is believed to have a large ocean under its surface, researchers in the past identified it as a good candidate to hold the right conditions to support some form of life.
18That data came mainly from telescope observations of oxygen levels existing in the moon's icy surface.
19The new, lower oxygen estimates do not support the earlier observations.
20The team involved in the study said more research will be needed to confirm the latest findings.
21Scott Bolton is a Juno investigator at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-writer of the study.
22He said in a statement that the team's new findings have a direct effect on the possibility that Europa could be habitable.
23While the oxygen amounts measured were much lower, the latest study gives scientists "a narrow range that could support habitability," Bolton said.
24Princeton University researcher Jamey Szalay was the study's lead writer.
25He said, "The findings unambiguously demonstrate oxygen is continuously produced at the surface, just a good bit lower than we expected."
26Szalay added that Juno's flyby of Europa marked the first time a spacecraft was able to directly measure the moon's atmosphere.
27"We couldn't wait to peek behind the curtain of its complex environment," he wrote to The Associated Press in an email.
28The researchers said the new measurements can help scientists gain a better understanding of Europa and its environment, and "open the door for newer, more precise models."
29Robert Ebert is a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-writer of the study.
30He said that even with the new results, he believes further investigations should take place to search for signs of life on Europa.
31"Water is important for the existence of life... Europa is a good place to search for water within our solar system."
32NASA hopes to launch its Europa Clipper mission in October.
33This orbiter is designed to carry out close examinations of Europa.
34It will look for signs it might hold the right conditions to support life.
35NASA says the orbiter plans to fly in orbit around Jupiter and "perform repeated close flybys of the ice moon."
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A new study suggests Jupiter's icy moon Europa produces much less oxygen than previously thought. 2The study was based on data collected by the American space agency NASA's Juno spacecraft. Juno is an orbiter that has been studying Jupiter since July 2016. 3The study involved Juno's instruments measuring levels of oxygen and hydrogen molecules coming from Europa's atmosphere. The data showed the icy moon produces about 1,000 tons of oxygen every 24 hours. NASA said that amount would be enough "to keep a million humans breathing for a day. 4However, the space agency noted those oxygen level estimates were "substantially less" than those measured in earlier studies about the moon. 5Europa is a little smaller than Earth's moon. But it is still one of the largest in our solar system. NASA observations have suggested an ocean exists beneath a thick layer of ice on Europa's surface. Scientists estimate the moon's ocean may contain twice the amount of water as Earth's oceans. 6The new study is based on data Juno collected in 2022 during a particularly close flyby of Europa. The flyby is believed to have brought the spacecraft within 350 kilometers of the moon. 7The research was led by teams from Princeton University in New Jersey and Maryland's Southwest Research Institute. The scientists estimated Europa is producing around 12 kilograms of oxygen per second. Earlier predictions suggested the moon was releasing up to 1,000 kilograms per second. 8Since Europa is believed to have a large ocean under its surface, researchers in the past identified it as a good candidate to hold the right conditions to support some form of life. That data came mainly from telescope observations of oxygen levels existing in the moon's icy surface. 9The new, lower oxygen estimates do not support the earlier observations. The team involved in the study said more research will be needed to confirm the latest findings. 10Scott Bolton is a Juno investigator at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-writer of the study. He said in a statement that the team's new findings have a direct effect on the possibility that Europa could be habitable. While the oxygen amounts measured were much lower, the latest study gives scientists "a narrow range that could support habitability," Bolton said. 11Princeton University researcher Jamey Szalay was the study's lead writer. He said, "The findings unambiguously demonstrate oxygen is continuously produced at the surface, just a good bit lower than we expected." 12Szalay added that Juno's flyby of Europa marked the first time a spacecraft was able to directly measure the moon's atmosphere. "We couldn't wait to peek behind the curtain of its complex environment," he wrote to The Associated Press in an email. 13The researchers said the new measurements can help scientists gain a better understanding of Europa and its environment, and "open the door for newer, more precise models." 14Robert Ebert is a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-writer of the study. He said that even with the new results, he believes further investigations should take place to search for signs of life on Europa. "Water is important for the existence of life... Europa is a good place to search for water within our solar system." 15NASA hopes to launch its Europa Clipper mission in October. This orbiter is designed to carry out close examinations of Europa. It will look for signs it might hold the right conditions to support life. 16NASA says the orbiter plans to fly in orbit around Jupiter and "perform repeated close flybys of the ice moon." 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, NASA, Nature Astronomy and the Southwest Research Institute. 19_______________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21substantial - n. large in amount 22habitable - adj. able to support life 23unambiguous - n. expressed in a very clear way 24peek behind the curtain - n. get a look at something not normally seen 25precise - adj. very clear or exact