Moon Has Oxygen-rich Oceans of Liquid Water

Recently, NASA crashed two separate pieces of the LCROSS space vehicle into the moon in search of water ice that may be trapped in the moon's soil. Analysis of the dust plumes kicked up by the impacts should yield a definitive answer about the quantity of water ice that can be found in the dark craters of the moon. Meanwhile, however, there is already a moon in our solar system that has great oceans of water containing twice as much water as all of Earth's oceans combined.

Europa's Tidal Heating keeps Oceans from Freezing Solid

Like our own Arctic Ocean, which is teaming with life, the oceans of this moon are locked beneath ice. The moon in question is Europa which orbits Jupiter. Furthermore, according to a Word Book Online report by Dr. William McKinnon, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University, Europa's interior is constantly being heated as its iron core is pushed and pulled by the immense gravity of Jupiter. This internal heating not only keeps much of the water in Europa's oceans from freezing, but may result in volcanic activity below the ocean.

Deep Sea Volcanic Vents May Support Life on Europa

On Earth, deep sea volcanic vents support entire ecosystems that do not rely on the sun for any of their energy. The rich mineral compounds that issues from the volcanic vents make a sort of nutrient soup that fuels the food chain in these undersea communities. If such vents also exist on Europa, then all the building blocks of life may be present.

Scientist Says Europa's Ocean Have Plenty of Oxygen to Support Life

Even without the presence of undersea volcanic vents, a new report published in Astronomy Magazine, claims that there is sufficient oxygen content in Europa's ocean water to support not just microscopic life forms but macrofauna, as well. While no one is even theorizing that intelligent life exists on Europa, this new information certainly allows for the possibility. An abundance of oxygen in the water would have been obtained from the ocean's exposure to the atmosphere evidenced by the recent (astronomically speaking) resurfacing of Europa's ice covering, says Richard Greenberg of the University of Arizona.

Detailed Exploration of Europa Many Years Away

Europa's oceans are locked beneath ice that may be miles thick. The oceans themselves are 50-100 miles deep including the ice layer. Sending a probe to Europa to determine whether life exists and to find and photograph it, if it does exist, is, therefore, a tremendously difficult task. The earliest planned orbiter, the Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) would not be expected to depart Earth until approximately 2020 and would take several years beyond that to travel the distance to Jupiter.

Europa May Be Extraterrestrial Life's Best Chance

Scientists have found that life can exist under very adverse conditions. NASA's Richard Hoover studied the possibility that life might even survive locked within the ice of comets and other interplanetary objects more than ten years ago. Whether the primitive germs of life may have originated there independently, or been carried from somewhere else, Europa represents perhaps the best chance of finding extraterrestrial life within our lifetime.

Sources:

McKinnon, William B. "Europa." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar186650.

"Europa may contain enough oxygen to support life." American Astronomical Society. Astronomy Magazine online edition. Retrieved from www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=8706 on October 10, 2009.

"Clues to possible life on Europa may lie buried in Antarctic ice." Retrieved from science.nasa.gov/NEWHOME/HEADLINES/ast05mar98_1.htm on October 10, 2009.