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Probes Could Swim Through Ice on Mars or Europa

Posted by timothy on from the just-look-at-the-astounding-market-demand dept.

Fraser Cain writes "NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) has funded a proposal to explore the idea of a robotic probe that could melt its way through the polar icecaps on Mars or ice covering Europa's ocean. A swarm of these these 100 kg probes would sample pockets of air in the ice as they maneuvered around in formation, searching for evidence of life - either past or present."

2 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. Second of 12 by DynaSoar · · Score: 4, Informative

    There's only 10 more of the most recent NIAC phase 1 awards to trickle through the delay lines between the nodes of the blogohypersphere and find their way to /. as "news".

    Or you can get it over with and read them all at http://www.niac.usra.edu/studies/studies.jsp?cpnum =05-01

    You can also check the "call for proposals" link and wait until they open it up again, and send your Great Big Idea for consideration. Also, students can do the same, for scholarship money at http://www.niac.usra.edu/students/index.html

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  2. Re:Swim through ice? by NiceGeek · · Score: 3, Informative

    Ok...once again Slasdotters have proven not only to be unable to RTFA but can't even bother to read the freaking summary - what part of "robotic probe that could MELT its way through the polar icecaps on Mars or ice covering Europa's ocean" didn't you understand?