Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before?
Teachers, not yet a subscriber?
Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine.
You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page...
Announcements & Tutorials
Renew Now, Pay Later
Sharing Google Activities
2 min.
Setting Up Student View
Exploring Your Issue
Using Text to Speech
Join Our Facebook Group!
1 min.
Subscriber Only Resources
Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to Science World magazine.
Article Options
Presentation View
Mission to a Mysterious Moon
NASA/JPL-CALTECH
If all goes according to plan, a new spacecraft will soon blast off to Europa, Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon. The spacecraft, called Europa Clipper, is scheduled to reach its destination in 2030, after traveling 714 million kilometers (444 million miles)!
Instruments onboard Europa Clipper will investigate the moon to determine whether a vast ocean of liquid water exists beneath its icy surface. The mission will also look for elements like carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O)—which are some of the building blocks of life on Earth. “We can’t wait to see what Europa Clipper shows us,” says Robert Pappalardo, a NASA scientist working on the project.
This spacecraft will orbit Jupiter. As it does, it will fly past the moon Europa about 50 times.
PROTECTIVE SHELL
Europa Clipper has a thick shell of titanium and aluminum to protect its electronics from high-energy radiation emitted by the planet Jupiter.
MAPPING THE MOON
The spacecraft carries nine scientific instruments. They are designed to map Europa’s surface and analyze the contents of the ocean that may exist beneath its icy crust.
SOLAR ARRAY
These large panels will collect light energy to power Europa Clipper. When the panels are deployed, the spacecraft is more than 100 feet wide—the length of a pro basketball court!
MIGHTY MOON
Europa is the sixth largest moon in our solar system. It’s about 1,940 miles across—slightly smaller than Earth’s moon.