Three Important Knowledges Of The Europa Clipper Aviation Mission

Illustration of Europa Clipper in space (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA Galileo was the first spacecraft to successfully study Europa, a moon from Jupiter. After successful launch of Galileo, NASA will now fly an aircraft called the Europa Clipper.

As the name implies, this aircraft is specifically designed to observe Europa. When launched on October 10, Europa Clipper will orbit Jupiter and collect data by flying 49 times across Europa.

Before the drone launched, NASA shared several interesting things from Europa Clipper. The first information NASA shared was estimates of conditions on the Europa Moon. Based on scientific evidence found, Europa contains materials for life.

However, the findings of life ingredients such as water and energy have not been able to prove that Europa is habitable. Therefore, NASA launched the Europa Clipper to gather all the information needed. After that, NASA will determine whether the moon is habitable.

"(Europe) may contain organic compounds and energy sources beneath its surface. If the mission determines that Europa is habitable, it means there are more livable worlds in our solar system and beyond it than we imagined," NASA said.

The next information that NASA shared was the power of the Europa Clipper. The space agency explained that Jupiter is surrounded by a giant magnetic field that is very strong. In fact, its strength is 20 thousand times greater than the magnetic field on Earth.

With this force, Jupiter's magnetic field can capture and accelerate charged particles so that its radiation can damage the surrounding spacecraft. Therefore, the Europa Clipper is designed with a strong component and the right strategy.

"The mission technique is designing a spacecraft safe to protect sensitive electronic devices from radiation and they are planning orbits that will limit the time the Europa Clipper is located in most areas with high radiation around Jupiter," NASA explained.

The latest information as well as the fact from the Europa Clipper is the size of the plane. NASA says that the Europa Clipper is the largest aircraft they have ever built to observe planets and moons around it.

The Europa Clipper has a length of 30.5 meters with a width of 17.6 meters. This size is influenced by antennas and solar arrays to help run the observations. Without the antenna and solar array, the Europa Clipper will not be able to orbit Jupiter.

"This is greater than a basketball court, thanks in large part to solar panels, which must be so large that it can collect enough sunlight when it's near Jupiter to power instruments, electronics, and other subsystems," NASA said.