The oxygen produced by the icy surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, is much less than expected: the quantity is around 12 kilograms of oxygen per second, considerably far from the maximum quantity of 1,100 kilograms previously hypothesized. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, is due to the study led by the American University of Princeton, which made use of data collected by NASA’s Juno probe, whose mission has been extended until the end of 2025. The results indicate that the conditions suitable for life within the ocean of liquid water hidden beneath Europa’s icy surface are reduced.
The surface of this satellite of Jupiter is constantly bombarded by radiation that breaks up the icy crust, splitting molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that escape into space or remain near the surface to form Europa’s atmosphere. So far, estimates of the quantities of these gases have been very uncertain, but researchers led by Jamey Szalay were able to take advantage of a flyby made by Juno on September 29, 2022, which flew over the surface of Jupiter’s moon at just 353 kilometers above sea level .
Thanks to the instruments present on board the probe, the authors of the study were able to calculate the quantity of oxygen produced much more precisely, reaching the estimate of 12 kilograms per second. The results provide useful information in view of another flyby, in this case of the European Space Agency’s Juice probe, launched on April 14, 2023 and which is expected to arrive near the satellite in 2032.
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