Draft of a letter to Leonardo Donato, Doge of Venice, August, 1609, and Notes on the Moons of Jupiter, January 1610. Credit: University of Michigan Special Collections Library
Five spacecraft have visited Europa up close — and scientists do regular checkups on the tiny moon with the powerful Hubble Space Telescope. More missions are planned.
NASA is building a future mission called Europa Clipper and ESA is developing a mission called JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer).
Most of what we know about Europa comes from several years of orbital observations by the Galileo spacecraft.
Cassini is such a fantastic mission. It not only acquired a wealth of data that led to numerous discoveries, but also raised a new generation of planetary scientists, including myself.
The most exciting moments are the 'aha moments' when a scientific problem that you've been wrestling with suddenly falls into place and begins to make sense.
Engineering can be daunting initially and requires a lot of work. But if you work hard, it will all pay off in the end and you’ll have one of the coolest jobs in the world, in my opinion.
"Modeling satiated my creative and exploratory sides, but getting my education and pursuing engineering helped me become mentally stronger, more rational, and generally more content with my life."
I study volcanoes—how they erupt, and why—and what they tell us about the interior not only of the Earth, but other planets and satellites across the solar system.
Cassini is such a fantastic mission. It not only acquired a wealth of data that led to numerous discoveries, but also raised a new generation of planetary scientists, including myself.
Eyes on the Solar System lets you explore the planets, their moons, asteroids, comets and the spacecraft exploring them from 1950 to 2050. Ride with the Curiosity Rover as it lands on Mars or fly by Pluto with the New Horizons spacecraft all from the comfort of your home computer.