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 Daedalus 2010, 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. Extra water from Europa was also run through the hull to further protect against radiation. Despite these efforts, the astronauts suffered significantly more radiation than in most missions.
