posted 03-07-2017 02:03 PM               

This topic is for comments and questions in reply to updates under:

• NASA's Europa Clipper to flyby Jupiter's moon
  
• NASA's mission to land on Jupiter's Europa

posted 03-07-2017 02:08 PM               

During more than five hours of briefings in "Left Field," a room named for its encouragement of ideas out of left field, scientists and engineers explained to [Congressman John] Culberson how they plan to tackle the challenges of landing on Europa. A year ago they weren't even certain it could be done, but now they're increasingly confident.

"We've looked at most of the things that used to really bother us," said Dara Sabahi, a lead engineer on the project. "There were a lot of gotchas, but today I can say that — and I don't say this lightly — we are confident we can make this work. I believe the technologies are in reach, and the risks that bothered us are manageable."

...during the briefings at JPL, Culberson brought a friend with him, the famed Director James Cameron. The two men share an interest in exploring the depths of oceans, and periodically Cameron peppered the JPL presenters with questions about batteries, the chemistry of Europa's ocean, and so forth. But mostly, he came as Europa's storyteller-in-chief. "If you want to talk to the world, this man knows how to do it," Culberson said of his friend.

posted 03-08-2017 06:40 AM               

It's official! NASA's mission to explore an ocean world orbiting Jupiter will be called Europa Clipper.

posted 03-16-2017 09:11 AM               

To preserve the balance of science portfolio and maintain flexibility to conduct missions that were determined to be more important by the science community, the Budget provides no funding for a multi-billion-dollar mission to land on Europa.

posted 04-17-2018 11:12 AM               

In recent years, scientists have locked down a set of nine scientific instruments to fly on the Europa Clipper probe, which will look, search, and sniff for signs of life during 47 flybys that will skim to within 25 kilometers of the moon's surface. But one big question remains, and it will probably determine whether the mission costs in the range of $2 billion or $3 billion dollars: how best to get the six-ton probe from Earth to the Jupiter system?

posted 11-27-2018 08:56 AM               

Some news regarding the Europa Clipper and Lander missions. New baseline launch dates:

• Clipper: July, 2023
  
• Lander: Nov., 2026

Those are funding dependent, which is a challenge now that Rep. Culberson is out. But not insurmountable. More to come.

posted 08-28-2019 08:21 AM               

In an Aug. 27 letter to the chairs and ranking members of both the full Senate Appropriations Committee and its commerce, justice and science subcommittee, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin said that language in past appropriations bills will delay the launch of the Europa Clipper mission and add to its cost.

"NASA's renewed focus on returning humans to the Moon on an accelerated timetable means that an SLS will not be available to launch the Clipper mission to Europa before 2025 at the earliest," he wrote in the conclusion of the seven-page letter. The fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill required that the mission launch by 2023 on an SLS.

"[W]e urge Congress to consider removing the requirement that NASA launch the Europa Clipper on an SLS and allow the Agency to decide whether to use an SLS or a commercial vehicle based on cost, schedule, vehicle availability, and impact on science requirements," he added.

posted 07-07-2020 10:40 AM               

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall use the Space Launch System, if available, as the launch vehicles for the Jupiter Europa missions, plan for orbiter launch no later than 2025 and a lander launch 11no later than 2027...

posted 07-11-2023 01:24 PM               

Elmo loves you to Jupiter's moon and back! Our friends at NASA are headed to Jupiter's moon Europa and bringing Elmo's name with them on the Europa Clipper spacecraft. You too can send your name to space!