For the first time, SwRI scientists used the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment instrument to definitively detect oxygen and hydrogen in the atmosphere of one of Jupiter’s largest moons, Europa. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, using its SwRI-developed instrument, made the measurements during a 2022 flyby of Europa. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech’s Juno spacecraft has provided crucial data on the charged particles in Europa’s atmosphere, revealing insights into its potential for supporting life.
“For the first time, we’ve been able to definitively detect hydrogen and oxygen with in-situ measurements and further confirm that Europa’s atmosphere is made primarily of hydrogen and oxygen molecules,” said SwRI Staff Scientist and co-author Dr. Robert Ebert. The source of these molecules is thought to be water ice on Europa’s surface. Jupiter’s rampant radiation breaks HO’s molecular bonds, leaving behind oxygen and hydrogen. The heavier oxygen molecules remain more constrained to the surface, or near-surface atmosphere, while the lighter-weight hydrogen predominately escapes into the atmosphere and beyond. Oxygen produced in the ice is either lost from the atmosphere and/or sequestered in the surface.
For the first time, SwRI scientists used the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment instrument to definitively detect oxygen and hydrogen in the atmosphere of one of Jupiter’s largest moons, Europa. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, using its SwRI-developed instrument, made the measurements during a 2022 flyby of Europa. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
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