Astrobiology V: Jupiter Moons

Front 1

Jupiter's four largest moons

Back 1

Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto

Front 2

Jupiter's moons: composition

Back 2

Io: rock
Europa: mostly rock with some ice
Ganymede, Callisto: ice mixed with rock

Front 3

Io: Characteristics

Back 3

(1) Caught in a tug of war between the gravity of Jupiter and Europa/Ganymede
(2) Slightly elliptical orbit
(3) Immense tidal heating making it the most volcanically active place in the solar system

Front 4

Europa

Back 4

(1) Some tidal heating
(2) Young surface
(3) Ice with more ice, liquid water, or slush beneath

Front 5

Jupiter's moons: order of radius

(smallest to largest)

Back 5

Europa, (Moon), Io, Callisto, Ganymede

Front 6

Jupiter's moons: order of mass

(smallest to largest)

Back 6

Europa, (Moon), Io, Callisto, Ganymede

Front 7

Jupiter's moons: order of density

(smallest to largest)

Back 7

Callisto, Ganymede, (Moon), Europa, Io

Front 8

Jupiter's moons: order of orbit distance

(smallest to largest)

Back 8

(Moon), Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto

Front 9

Io's gravity relationship with Jupiter leads to...

Back 9

(1) Slightly elliptical orbit
(2) Tidal bulges
(3) Volcanic activity

Front 10

Europa's albedo

Back 10

.7

Front 11

Evidence for liquid water on Europa

Back 11

(1) Iceberg-like blocks crossed by ridges in what looks like a slushy ocean that froze
(2) Features resembling frozen floods
(3) Surface features indicative of recent disruptions from below
(4) Shallow impact craters that suggest only a thin layer of ice
(5) Shifts in its magnetic field

Front 12

The possibility of chemosynthetic life under the Europan ice is tied to what?

Back 12

The number and power of any undersea hydrothermal vents

Front 13

What limits the abundance of life on Europa?

Back 13

The lack of oxygen or oxidized molecules

Front 14

How might Europan waters get oxygen?

Back 14

(1) From chemical reactions involving high energy particles in Jupiter's magnetic field interacting with Europan ice
(2) the radioactive decay of some atoms in the Europan ocean

Front 15

What did the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter mission intend to do?

Back 15

Determine whether or not a subsurface ocean exists on Europa by measuring its topography

Front 16

The biggest challenges of the proposed Europa Ocean Explorer mission is what?

Back 16

(1) Drilling a hole through the ice
(2) Making sure Earth organisms do not invade the water from the hydrobot

Front 17

Europa, surface ice temperature

Back 17

-140C

Front 18

Europa, maximum temperature of ice that is at a shallow enough depth for photosynthesis (excluding ice cracks and fissures)

Back 18

-20C

Front 19

Why can't photosynthetic life make warmer ice cracks and fissures their home on Europa?

Back 19

The cracks and fissures are too short-lived

Front 20

Why have we had trouble determining whether Europa has water?

Back 20

Because the density of ice, liquid water, and slush is about the same