cteria. Looking at images of Europa there is strong evidence to date that liquid or slushy water lies below. There are regions of dark and splotchy terrain almost like volcanic ice flow. The large plates of icy crust on the surface look like the Arctic Ocean during a spring thaw. There is also reason to believe that the whole moon is frozen ice. Recent evidence by the magnetometer data shows there is water there now, instead of the past (Savage Internet). One way the moon is not all frozen is tidal heating (Watters 138). Another is since Europa is dense, with a rocky core, the heat may be generated by natural radioactive decay (Cooke CD-Rom). The last reason proposed is gravitational pull, from Jupiter and its three other moons. If water is under all that ice, most likely that is the reason. Then the search for life begins. Europa is considered one of the locations in the solar system most likely to have harbored life. Scientists predict that if there is life, it will be around heat sources. Microbes can live on Earth under conditions possibly even more extreme than those found on Europa ("Oceans on Europa" CD-Rom). In recent studies heat and water, even without sunlight, are the two critical ingredients for keeping things alive or bringing them to life (Cooke CD-Rom). Out of the four moons on Jupiter, Europa has the greatest chance of having life (Dyson CD-Rom). The moon IO, is blazing hot with active volcanoes (Dyson CD-Rom). Callisto, is a solid ball of ice covered with ancient craters (Dyson CD-Rom). This is why Europa is the one place scientists are aiming for. Just as asteroids and comets make an impact on Mars, which gives scientists an easy way to look for evidence of life, Europa is hit by them too. Every time a major impact occurs on Europa, a vast quantity of water is splashed from the ocean into the space around Jupiter. Some of the water evaporates and some condenses into snow. Creatures living in th...
