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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. Why not Vostok first? by ThomasCR · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Before you bother to go to Europa, do try it at home! On Antarctica's lake Vostok. AFAIK, that ice above this lake is still not penetrated? Will it be easier on Europa, where the pH is around zero?

  2. You modded him funny? by lilmouse · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Geeze - moderators with no vision! If someone sent a probe knocked out every electronic device in the western US with an EMP (because it was measuring sub-surface structure based on the echo?), what do you think Bush would do? "I, for one, welcome our new..."? No way in hell - he'd make some speech about freedom and launch our nuculear arsenal into speace to deal with it!

    --LWM