Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Melting Europa

Posted by michael on from the you'll-come-a-melting-europa-with-me dept.

amigoro writes "After having contaminated Earth's Oceans, it seems that there are plans to send a probe drilling through Europa's ice sheet and explore the purported ocean below the crust. The plan seems to be to find Life there. But I wonder how long the time lag will be between the probe finding life, and a leak in the radioactive heater wiping all of it out."

5 of 698 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Talk about a weird week. by aquabat · · Score: 0, Troll

    I get more radiation from Uranus than Europa gets from Saturn.

    --
    A republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
  2. Re:Question... by lukewarmfusion · · Score: 0, Troll

    I'm not trolling. I seriously would like to read someone's thoughts on this topic. Just because I'm challenging you to think about it doesn't mean that I'm trying to piss you off. That's your own decision.

    (Now this one is much more troll than my original post)

  3. Re:Van Allen belts? by The+Lynxpro · · Score: 0, Troll

    "Doesn't Europa lie in the Van Allen belts of Jupiter, so it is already getting large amounts of radiation?"

    Van Allen belts? Puuuuuuuuuulease. That's like the scientists who feared people would instantly die if they travelled in automobiles that could surpass 35mph, that it would melt their faces off. After all, didn't our astronauts survive going through the Belts on their way to the Moon in the poorly shielded Apollo capsules? I don't think they returned looking like something you'd buy at KFC. Or did they? :)

    --
    "Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
  4. Alright...So what _is_ the big deal? by spiderbarker · · Score: 0, Troll

    What is this obsession with life? Isn't it just some chemical process involving particular elements, one that humans as organisms just happen to have a particular affinity for?

    This probe is merely a speck on a speck on a speck of the total matter that makes up this "untouched" moon. Even if it did kill off life it certainly isn't going to make any difference to Europa!

    Suggested response: Get over it. The universe will go on pretty much as it always has even if we succeed in killing ourselves off.

  5. Re:Sedna, Sedna, Sedna ... by FroMan · · Score: 0, Troll

    You mean its not just Kim Jong Il and Saddam that endorsed him? I mean why else wouldn't he tell us who supports him?

    --
    Norris/Palin 2012
    Fact: We deserve leaders who can kick your ass and field dress your carcass.