Europa
[[Image: |300px|Europa]] | |
| Europa | |
|---|---|
| Category | Moon of Jupiter |
| Size | Spherical; r = 1569km |
| Orbited Body | Unknown |
| Periapsis | Not Verified |
| Apoapsis | Not Verified |
| Time Delay | Not Calculated |
| Type of Visit | Main Mission |
Europa is a moon of Jupiter. It is hypothesized that there is liquid water under Europa's surface of water ice, making it a prime candidate for extraterrestrial life.
Spacesim Missions
Spacesim has visited Europa twice as a main mission destination:
Spacesim Findings
Radiation Hazard
Due to its location in the centre of a main Jovian [Van Allen belt], the radiation at the surface of Europa is high. During the 2009-10 mission Daedalus, this caused the Hawking III to spend only 12 hours at a time on the surface, in order to retain enough fuel to run the radiation shields at a sufficiently high percentage (near 60% on RAD1). The Habitat was also required to burrow itself into the ice shelf -- that is to say, use its engines to melt a narrow trench, and once sufficiently deep within the trench, use short bursts of RCS thrusters to cave in a layer of ice above the roof of the Habitat. Despite these efforts, the astronauts suffered significantly more radiation than in most missions.
External Links
- [Europa] on Wikipedia.
