What Can We Do, and When Can We Do It?
- The US is planning to launch an orbiter mission to Europa in 2003 to determine the presence or absence of an ocean.
- Data on Europaís chemical composition could help plan a follow-on landing mission there (launch in 2007 or beyond).
- Progress should be made NOW in the development of instruments important in studying life at deep sea vent systems on Earth
- e.g., a special purpose in situ spectrofluorometer to characterize energy metabolism of vent microbesówith later miniaturization to meet the mass and power limitations needed for operation on a space mission.
- While developing mission hardware for the possible exploration of a Europan ocean, exobiological lessons can be learned by continuing the study of hydrothermal vent systems and similar environments in new locations on the Earth.