Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper
The presence of cryovolcanic activity in the form of geyser-like plumes at Jupiter’s moon Europa is a much-debated topic. As an active plume could allow direct sampling by a passing spacecraft of a potentially habitable interior environment, the detection and analysis of ongoing plume activity would...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adea6a |
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| author | Lorenz Roth Erin Leonard Kelly Miller Matt Hedman Lynnae C. Quick Tracy M. Becker Shawn Brooks Corey Cochrane Ashley Gerard Davies Carolyn M. Ernst Cyril Grima Candice J. Hansen Carly Howett Sean Hsu Xianzhe Jia Adrienn Luspay-Kuti Margaret Kivelson Fabian Klenner Alfred McEwen William B. McKinnon Robert T. Pappalardo Frank Postberg Julie Rathbun Kurt D. Retherford Kirk Scanlan K. Marshall Seaton John R. Spencer J. Hunter Waite Paul Withers Danielle Wyrick Mikhail Yu. Zolotov the Europa Clipper Plume Focus Group |
| author_facet | Lorenz Roth Erin Leonard Kelly Miller Matt Hedman Lynnae C. Quick Tracy M. Becker Shawn Brooks Corey Cochrane Ashley Gerard Davies Carolyn M. Ernst Cyril Grima Candice J. Hansen Carly Howett Sean Hsu Xianzhe Jia Adrienn Luspay-Kuti Margaret Kivelson Fabian Klenner Alfred McEwen William B. McKinnon Robert T. Pappalardo Frank Postberg Julie Rathbun Kurt D. Retherford Kirk Scanlan K. Marshall Seaton John R. Spencer J. Hunter Waite Paul Withers Danielle Wyrick Mikhail Yu. Zolotov the Europa Clipper Plume Focus Group |
| author_sort | Lorenz Roth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The presence of cryovolcanic activity in the form of geyser-like plumes at Jupiter’s moon Europa is a much-debated topic. As an active plume could allow direct sampling by a passing spacecraft of a potentially habitable interior environment, the detection and analysis of ongoing plume activity would be of the highest scientific value. In the past decade, several studies have interpreted different remote and in situ observations as providing evidence for large gaseous plumes at different locations on Europa. However, definitive proof is elusive, and visible imaging data taken during spacecraft flybys do not reveal clear indications of ongoing activity. After arrival at Jupiter in 2030, the NASA Europa Clipper spacecraft will systematically search for and constrain plume activity at Europa utilizing a variety of investigations and methods during, before, and after close flybys. Given the lack of a confirmed plume detection to date, the Europa Clipper science team has adopted a global plume search strategy, not focusing on any specific geographical area or any specific type of observation. This global search strategy assigns enhanced value to data obtained early in the mission, which allows time for further observations and characterization of any observed plume at later times. Here we describe the current state of knowledge on plume activity, the Europa Clipper search strategy, and the role of various instruments on the Europa Clipper payload in this search. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2205e05b90b645aab7ebbb42876bf3f8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-3338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Planetary Science Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-2205e05b90b645aab7ebbb42876bf3f82025-08-20T04:02:41ZengIOP PublishingThe Planetary Science Journal2632-33382025-01-016818210.3847/PSJ/adea6aPlume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa ClipperLorenz Roth0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0554-4691Erin Leonard1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5150-5426Kelly Miller2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5657-137XMatt Hedman3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8592-0812Lynnae C. Quick4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0123-2797Tracy M. Becker5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1559-5954Shawn Brooks6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8622-0829Corey Cochrane7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4935-1472Ashley Gerard Davies8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1747-8142Carolyn M. Ernst9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9434-7886Cyril Grima10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7135-3055Candice J. Hansen11https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5863-299XCarly Howett12https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1869-4947Sean Hsu13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5478-4168Xianzhe Jia14https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8685-1484Adrienn Luspay-Kuti15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7744-246XMargaret Kivelson16https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4497-8759Fabian Klenner17https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5744-1718Alfred McEwen18https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-2553William B. McKinnon19https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4131-6568Robert T. Pappalardo20https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2571-4627Frank Postberg21https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5862-4276Julie Rathbun22https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7619-652XKurt D. Retherford23https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9470-150XKirk Scanlan24https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6483-0092K. Marshall Seaton25https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4202-7602John R. Spencer26https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4452-8109J. Hunter Waite27https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1978-1025Paul Withers28https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3084-4581Danielle Wyrick29https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3625-4267Mikhail Yu. Zolotov30https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0670-0684the Europa Clipper Plume Focus GroupKTH Royal Institute of Technology , SE-100 44 Stockholm, SwedenJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USASouthwest Research Institute , 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USAUniversity of Idaho , 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 0903 Moscow, ID 83844-0903, USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt MD, 20771, USASouthwest Research Institute , 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA; University of Texas at San Antonio , 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USAJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , Laurel, MD, USAUniversity of Texas Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas , Austin, TX, USAPlanetary Science Institute , 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, USAPlanetary Science Institute , 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; University of Oxford , UKLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado , 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7814, USADepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory , Laurel, MD, USADepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USADepartment of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, USAUniversity of Arizona , 1541 E. University Blvd.Tucson, AZ 85721-0063, USAWashington University in St. Louis , 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USAFreie Universität Berlin , Institut of Geological Sciences, Malteserstrasse 74-100, 12249 Berlin, GermanyCornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USASouthwest Research Institute , 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA; University of Texas at San Antonio , 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USADTU Space, Technical University of Denmark , Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91109, USASouthwest Research Institute , 301 Walnut Street, Suite 400 Boulder, CO 80302, USAUniversity of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USADepartment of Astronomy, Boston University , 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Space Physics, Boston University , 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, USASouthwest Research Institute , 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USAThe presence of cryovolcanic activity in the form of geyser-like plumes at Jupiter’s moon Europa is a much-debated topic. As an active plume could allow direct sampling by a passing spacecraft of a potentially habitable interior environment, the detection and analysis of ongoing plume activity would be of the highest scientific value. In the past decade, several studies have interpreted different remote and in situ observations as providing evidence for large gaseous plumes at different locations on Europa. However, definitive proof is elusive, and visible imaging data taken during spacecraft flybys do not reveal clear indications of ongoing activity. After arrival at Jupiter in 2030, the NASA Europa Clipper spacecraft will systematically search for and constrain plume activity at Europa utilizing a variety of investigations and methods during, before, and after close flybys. Given the lack of a confirmed plume detection to date, the Europa Clipper science team has adopted a global plume search strategy, not focusing on any specific geographical area or any specific type of observation. This global search strategy assigns enhanced value to data obtained early in the mission, which allows time for further observations and characterization of any observed plume at later times. Here we describe the current state of knowledge on plume activity, the Europa Clipper search strategy, and the role of various instruments on the Europa Clipper payload in this search.https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adea6aNatural satellites (Solar system)Natural satellite atmospheresGeological processesVolcanismNatural satellite surfaces |
| spellingShingle | Lorenz Roth Erin Leonard Kelly Miller Matt Hedman Lynnae C. Quick Tracy M. Becker Shawn Brooks Corey Cochrane Ashley Gerard Davies Carolyn M. Ernst Cyril Grima Candice J. Hansen Carly Howett Sean Hsu Xianzhe Jia Adrienn Luspay-Kuti Margaret Kivelson Fabian Klenner Alfred McEwen William B. McKinnon Robert T. Pappalardo Frank Postberg Julie Rathbun Kurt D. Retherford Kirk Scanlan K. Marshall Seaton John R. Spencer J. Hunter Waite Paul Withers Danielle Wyrick Mikhail Yu. Zolotov the Europa Clipper Plume Focus Group Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper The Planetary Science Journal Natural satellites (Solar system) Natural satellite atmospheres Geological processes Volcanism Natural satellite surfaces |
| title | Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper |
| title_full | Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper |
| title_fullStr | Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper |
| title_short | Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper |
| title_sort | plume activity on europa current knowledge and search strategy for europa clipper |
| topic | Natural satellites (Solar system) Natural satellite atmospheres Geological processes Volcanism Natural satellite surfaces |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adea6a |
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