Europa Lander Mission Announced

Image Credits; Gawker

NASA is once again making the search for life on other planets a priority. According to Science News, Nasa is targeting Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is considered possibly habitable because of its subsurface ocean. 

The proposed mission could be operational in the next two decades. The lander will include instruments to assess surface chemistry on Europa. A major concern is taking precautions to prevent contamination of Europa by microbes from Earth. 

These precautions are important not only for protecting the potential life on the moon but also for future research on Europa.