How NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft is Kept Super Clean | JPL

How NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft is Kept Super Clean | JPL

A team of specialists in a field known as planetary protection has been working to keep NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft as clean as possible as it is prepared for launch. This effort is crucial, as the spacecraft will make dozens of flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa, where an ocean beneath the icy crust may possess the essential ingredients for life. Although the spacecraft will not come into contact with the moon’s surface, planetary protection protocols are in place to safeguard Europa’s environment, as well as the other planets and moons Europa Clipper will fly by.

The practice of planetary protection involves carefully controlling any exposure other solar system bodies have to Earth life. To minimize the possible introduction of microbes from Earth to Europa, numerous samples have been collected from the Europa Clipper throughout its construction. These samples are tested to ensure compliance with planetary protection protocols. 

In this episode, Akemi Hinzer from the Planetary Protection Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory walks through the team’s meticulous process.

Europa Clipper is expected to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and to arrive in the Jupiter system in 2030. 

For more information on the mission go to: https://europa.nasa.gov/

Download Europa Clipper Ocean World poster:

https://europa.nasa.gov/resources/173/europa-clipper-journey-to-an-ocean-world-poster/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Duration: 3 minutes, 33 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 5, 2024

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