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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europa Clipper | 4/6 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Clipper | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:18:31.671242+00:00 | kb-cron |
The Wide-angle Camera (WAC) has a field of view of 48° by 24° and a resolution of 11 m (36 ft) from a 50 km (31 mi) altitude. Optically the WAC uses 8 lens refractive optics with an 8 mm aperture and a 46 mm focal length which give it a f-number of f/5.75. The WAC will obtain stereo imagery swaths throughout the mission. The Narrow-angle Camera (NAC) has a 2.3° by 1.2° field of view, giving it a resolution of 0.5 m (20 in) per pixel from a 50 km (31 mi) altitude. Optically the NAC uses a Ritchey Chrétien Cassegrain telescope with a 152 mm aperture and a 1000 mm focal length which give it a f-number of f/6.58. The NAC is mounted on a 2-axis gimbal, allowing it to point at specific targets regardless of the main spacecraft's orientation. This will allow for mapping of >95% of Europa's surface at a resolution of ≤50 m (160 ft) per pixel. For reference, only around 14% of Europa's surface has previously been mapped at a resolution of ≤500 m (1,600 ft) per pixel. The principal investigator is Elizabeth Turtle of the Applied Physics Laboratory.
==== Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) ==== The Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument will be able to detect small erupting plumes, and will provide valuable data about the composition and dynamics of the moon's exosphere. The principal investigator is Kurt Retherford of Southwest Research Institute. Retherford was previously a member of the group that discovered plumes erupting from Europa while using the Hubble Space Telescope in the UV spectrum.
==== Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) ==== The Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) is a dual-frequency ice penetrating radar (9 and 60 MHz) instrument that is designed to sound Europa's ice crust from the near-surface to the ocean, revealing the hidden structure of Europa's ice shell and potential water pockets within. REASON will probe the exosphere, surface and near-surface and the full depth of the ice shell to the ice-ocean interface up to 30 km. The principal investigator is Donald Blankenship of the University of Texas at Austin. This instrument was built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
==== Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) ==== The Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) will be used to analyze the magnetic field around Europa. The instrument consists of three flux gates placed along an 8.5-meter (28 ft) boom, which were stowed during launch and deployed afterwards. The magnetic field of Jupiter is thought to induce electric current in a salty ocean beneath Europa's ice, which in turn leads Europa to produce its own magnetic field, therefore by studying the strength and orientation of Europa's magnetic field over multiple flybys, scientists hope to be able to confirm the existence of Europa's subsurface ocean, as well as characterize the thickness of its icy crust and estimate the water's depth and salinity. The instrument team leader is Margaret Kivelson, University of Michigan. ECM replaced the proposed Interior Characterization of Europa using Magnetometry (ICEMAG) instrument, which was canceled due to cost overruns. ECM is a simpler and cheaper magnetometer than ICEMAG would have been.
==== Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) ====
The Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) measures the plasma surrounding Europa to characterize the magnetic fields generated by plasma currents. These plasma currents mask the magnetic induction response of Europa's subsurface ocean. In conjunction with a magnetometer, it is key to determining Europa's ice shell thickness, ocean depth, and salinity. PIMS will also probe the mechanisms responsible for weathering and releasing material from Europa's surface into the atmosphere and ionosphere and understanding how Europa influences its local space environment and Jupiter's magnetosphere. The principal investigator is Joseph Westlake of the Applied Physics Laboratory.
==== Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (MASPEX) ==== The Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (MASPEX) will determine the composition of the surface and subsurface ocean by measuring Europa's extremely tenuous atmosphere and any surface materials ejected into space. Jack Waite, who led development of MASPEX, was also Science Team Lead of the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) on the Cassini spacecraft. The principal investigator is Jim Burch of Southwest Research Institute, who was previously the leader of the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission.
==== Surface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) ====
The SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) is a mass spectrometer that will measure the composition of small solid particles ejected from Europa, providing the opportunity to directly sample the surface and potential plumes on low-altitude flybys. The instrument is capable of identifying traces of organic and inorganic compounds in the ice of ejecta, and is sensitive enough to detect signatures of life even if the sample contains less than a single bacterial cell in a collected ice grain. The principal investigator is Sascha Kempf of the University of Colorado Boulder.
==== Gravity & Radio Science ==== Although it was designed primarily for communications, the high-gain radio antenna will be used to perform additional radio observations and investigate Europa's gravitational field, acting as a radio science subsystem. Measuring the Doppler shift in the radio signals between the spacecraft and Earth will allow the spacecraft's motion to be determined in detail. As the spacecraft performs each of its 45 Europa flybys, its trajectory will be altered by the moon's gravitational field. The Doppler data will be used to determine the higher order coefficients of that gravity field, to determine the moon's interior structure, and to examine how Europa is deformed by tidal forces. The instrument team leader is Erwan Mazarico of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
== Launch and trajectory ==