02:03 PM
Saturday 01 October 2022
Scientists from the University of Nantes, University College Dublin, the University of Cambridge and Sheffield have discovered new evidence that liquid water may exist on Mars.
The researchers’ findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, are consistent with previous measurements that were originally interpreted to show a possible region of liquid water under the Martian ice.
In the context of the frantic search for water in space, the Juno spacecraft of the US Space Agency (NASA), reached the closest point in 20 years to the glowing icy moon (Europe), which orbits the planet Jupiter.
On Thursday, Juno managed to approach a distance of 357 kilometers from “Europe”, which is believed to have an ocean flowing under its thick frozen crust, which increases the possibility of life underwater.
Scientists hope to get lucky and spot potential water plumes that may flow from the surface of Europa, which is regarding the size of Earth’s moon.
John Purdy, assistant mission manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expected the spacecraft to travel at a relatively high speed “of 123.6 kilometers per second.”
The former Galileo spacecraft of NASA still holds the record for approaching the moon, “Europe” at 351 km, set in 2000.