Europa - A World of Ice

Europa is a strange satellite. It is about the same size as Earth's moon, but it is very smooth. There are very few craters on its surface - something is removing them.

Europa is covered by a sheet of ice. Its thickness is not known. Like Io, Europa gets squished by Jupiter. Europa doesn't get squeezed as much as Io does, but it might heat up enough to melt some of the ice. There might be an ocean under the sheet of ice, but no one knows.

There are also strange, dark lines on Europa's surface. No one knows what they are or how they got there.

Big Problems:

Europa is deep inside Jupiter's radiation belts
Jupiter is far from the sun so sunlight is very dim
It is also cold out there - between 100 to 200 degrees below zero Centigrade
If there is water under the ice, is the ice thick enough to hold up a base?
Gravity is only about 1/3rd as strong on Europa as it is on Earth - how will this affect you and your buildings?

Little Problems:

How will you keep warm?
What will you eat?
How will you make electricity?
How will you communicate with the other bases and Earth?

Keep these things in mind while you discuss your base.

For questions about this page, please contact Carol McKisson.

Mission to Jupiter