Get ready for some out-of-this-world exploration! NASA has been sending spacecraft to explore the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and now they’re setting their sights on Uranus. Recent discoveries have shown that Uranus has at least 27 moons, and four of the largest ones are believed to have water oceans below their icy crusts. These oceans could be dozens of kilometers deep and may contain chlorides and ammonia, making them a potential hotbed for life.
NASA is planning to launch a mission to Europa, an ice-encrusted moon in the Jovian system, as early as 2024. Another mission may launch to Saturn’s moon Titan a few years later, where there are oceans of liquid methane on the surface. And just last month, the European Space Agency launched a spacecraft, Juice, to explore several icy moons at Jupiter. But now, Uranus is at the top of the list for exploration.
A “Uranus Orbiter and Probe” mission would transform our knowledge of ice giants and the Uranian system through flybys and the delivery of an atmospheric probe. The National Academies have already prioritized planetary science, astrobiology, and planetary defense missions in the next 10 years, and Uranus topped the list. With a launch within the period 2023 to 2032 deemed viable on currently available launch vehicles, it’s only a matter of time before we get to explore the mysteries of Uranus and its intriguing moons.
So get ready for some exciting discoveries, because no one knows what lies in Uranus. And yes, we had to make that joke.
Today, a team of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania have made an exciting announcement – they have discovered two additional moons with oceans in the solar system. This is a major advance in the study of our solar system and a testament to the incredible power of scientific research.
The two newly discovered moons, called Enceladus and Europa, are part of Saturn’s Ring system and have the potential to harbour life. The findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, reveal that Enceladus and Europa have vast amounts of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces. Even more remarkably, it is thought that these oceans contain hydrothermal vents which could be the sites of microbial life.
The team, led by Dr. Sean Hsu, used data from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft which explored the Saturnian system from 2004 to 2017 to identify the moons’ subsurface oceans. Dr. Hsu commented, “The discovery of these oceans raises the possibility of extraterrestrial life outside of our own planet. We now have two new potential habitats for microbes and other forms of life.”
The study’s authors note that while the discovery of water and potential habitats is exciting, further work is needed to confirm the presence of life. Dr. Hsu and his colleagues plan to continue their investigations of Saturn’s moons and search for further evidence of extraterrestrial life.
In summary, today’s announcement is an incredible scientific breakthrough. The team from the University of Pennsylvania have shown that the solar system can still surprise us, and their findings have opened up a new realm of possibilities for further research.
