The latest findings from NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter have revealed that Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, is a powerhouse of oxygen production. Scientists have calculated that Europa generates an astonishing 1,000 tons of oxygen every 24 hours, with an estimated production rate of around 26 pounds per second.
This groundbreaking discovery was made possible by data collected by Juno’s Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instrument. The findings are significant as they shed light on Europa’s potential for supporting life, as the moon is believed to have a vast internal ocean of salty water beneath its icy surface.
Europa’s unique ability to generate oxygen is due to its location in Jupiter’s radiation belts, which expose it to charged particles that split water molecules on its surface. Some of the oxygen produced on Europa’s surface may even make its way into the moon’s subsurface ocean, potentially serving as a source of metabolic energy.
The Juno spacecraft, which made a close flyby of Europa in September 2022, measured hydrogen and oxygen ions created by bombarding charged particles. These observations have provided valuable insights into Europa’s environment, with more flybys planned as part of the mission.
NASA’s upcoming Europa Clipper mission, set to arrive at Jupiter in 2030, will further investigate Europa’s habitability, including its oxygen production. The study on Europa’s oxygen production, published in Nature Astronomy, is a crucial step towards understanding the potential for life in the Jovian system.
As the Juno mission team shifts its focus to another Jovian moon, Io, with a close flyby scheduled for April 9, 2024, the exploration of Jupiter’s fascinating moons continues to provide valuable insights for future space missions.
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