Europa Subsurface Ocean |
Europa Subsurface Ocean |
Nov 22 2005, 10:53 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
Regarding the very real possibility Europa harbors an ocean underneath the ice, I'm wondering whether there have been any estimates on how long such an ocean might have been sustained (I'm assuming it's still there today). Are we talking about the entire history of Europa, billions of years or a much more recent thing, only a few millions? I know Enceladus, which recently turned out to be much warmer inside than expected, could have been periodically heated, but not on very long timescales.
I'm primarily interested because of the habitability factor, obviously an ocean which freezes out every once and a while would not make for a good incubator to possible life. Also, supposedly all tidal heating on Europa would cease now, how long would it take for the subsurface to freeze out, that is, what are the thermal conductive properties of the surface ice? Admittedly, I haven't done much research on the subject and if the question was already asked before, I apologize. -------------------- |
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Apr 4 2006, 08:17 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
Title: Exploring Europa's Ocean: A Challenge for Marine Technology of this Century
Authors: Carsey, F. Chen, G. Cutts, J. French, L. Kern, R. Lane, A. Stolorz, P. Zimmerman, W. Ballou, P. Issue Date: 2000 Citation: Marine Technology Society Journal Washington D.C., USA Abstract: The Galileo spacecraft has sent back tantalizing image data hinting at a vast ocean beneath a thick ice crust on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons which is about the size of our moon. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2014/13849 http://trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/handle/2014/13849 -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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