The European spacecraft Juice was launched on the 14th to explore Jupiter and three of Jupiter’s icy moons, which are thought to have oceans buried underground.
Juice was launched this morning on a European Ariane rocket from French Guiana in South America. It will take Jupiter eight years to reach Jupiter, and it plans to explore Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, as well as its three moons: Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. The three icy moons are believed to have subterranean oceans where sea life could exist.
When Juice reaches Jupiter, it will attempt to enter orbit around Ganymede, but no spacecraft has ever attempted to orbit a moon other than Earth’s.
Astronomers consider Jupiter a small solar system with as many as 95 moons, and say Jupiter-like missions should have been done a long time ago.
Olivier Witasse, project scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA), said: “Juice won’t be detecting life during this mission, but learning more about Jupiter’s moons and their potential oceans will bring them closer to answering questions about life, and that’s what it means.” It will be the most exciting aspect of this mission.”
Juice will fly a long, circuitous route to Jupiter, reaching 6.6 billion kilometers.
Juice will orbit Jupiter within 200 km of Callisto and 400 km from Europa and Ganymede, making 35 flybys before orbiting Ganymede, the primary goal of the €1.6 billion mission. .
Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, surpassing Mercury in size, and has a magnetic field with dazzling auroras at its poles.
Even more fascinating is that it is believed to have an underground ocean that holds more water than Earth.
“These large moons of Jupiter are the best candidates to search because the marine worlds of our solar system are most likely to harbor possible life,” said Scott Shepard of the Carnegie Institution, who was not involved in the Juice mission.
Juice the size of a small bus will reach Jupiter in 2031, relying on gravity-assisted flight from Venus as well as Earth and the Moon.
[AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.