Arizona State University students and faculty built an infrared camera for Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. The camera will be used to help investigate Jupiter’s moon, Europa, to see if it possesses conditions for life.
The development for the spacecraft began decades ago. ASU’s infrared camera, E-THEMIS, will identify sections on Europa where the presumed ocean lies closest to the surface. Those sections could serve as landing sites for future missions.
Robert Pappalardo started working on the project as a Ph.D. student at ASU in 1994. Now, he serves as the Europa Clipper project scientist. He says the craft’s findings could change biology as we know it.
“Are there other examples of how life could work? We don’t know, and that would just revolutionize biology if we had another example of life working in other ways with other chemistries," said Pappalardo.
ASU professor Phillip Christensen has led the development of E-THEMIS at ASU.
"In NASA's language, we're kind of looking at habitability. Could there be life on Europa? What're the conditions? What's the moon like?" said Christensen.
"Follow-on missions will know where to look and what to look for," Christensen said.
Both Christensen and Pappalardo give their thanks to late ASU Professor Ronald Greeley.
Greeley served as a friend, colleague and mentor to both of them during their times at ASU. As an expert in planetary geology, he was involved in almost all NASA space probe missions since the Apollo Moon landing.
"Ron Greeley started this back in the '70s. He was an amazing scientist. He was an amazing man. I came to ASU to work with him," Christensen said.
The craft will travel 1.8 billion miles over more than five years until it reaches Europa. It will then orbit Europa for about four years to conduct research. The craft is expected to launch Oct. 10.
