Is Europa Too Prickly To Land On?

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Is Europa Too Prickly To Land On?

Posted by samzenpus on Monday October 28, 2013 @08:48AM from the watch-your-step dept.

astroengine writes "A deadly bed of icy javelins — known as penitentes — could be awaiting any spacecraft that tries to land on some parts of the ice-covered world Europa, say researchers who have carefully modeled the ice processes at work on parts of the Jovian moon to detect features beyond the current low resolution images. If the prediction of long vertical blades of ice is correct, it will not only help engineers design a lander to tame or avoid the sabers, but also help explain a couple of nagging mysteries about the strange moon. 'This is a game changer,' said planetary scientist Don Blankenship of the University of Texas in Austin. Blankenship has been involved in NASA's planning process for sending a reconnaissance spacecraft and eventually a lander to Europa."

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Arthur C Clarke strikes again! by dkleinsc · 2013-10-28 08:51 · Score: 5, Funny

What part of "Attempt no landing there" don't you people understand?

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1. Re:Arthur C Clarke strikes again! by durrr · 2013-10-28 08:57 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Well if it's a spiky ice hell, then no wonder they told them not to attempt landing as that would only end in tears.
2. Re:Arthur C Clarke strikes again! by Mikkeles · 2013-10-28 09:22 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Nuke the landing site from orbit! Next problem?
  
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  Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
3. Re:Arthur C Clarke strikes again! by The+Grim+Reefer · 2013-10-28 09:27 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  What part of "Attempt no landing there" don't you people understand?
  No kidding. Jupiter has at least 66 other moons we can land on. But of course the only one we want to land on is the one that we're told not to. Of course "the prediction of long vertical blades of ice" in conjunction with the radiation and hazards of the trip itself make us want to go even more. It's kind of like telling a 3 year old "don't touch this".
4. Re:Arthur C Clarke strikes again! by camperdave · 2013-10-28 17:15 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Well if it's a spiky ice hell, then no wonder they told them not to attempt landing as that would only end in tears.
  Yes, and the last thing you want in your suit is tears.
  
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  When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
Hmmm... by GeneralEmergency · 2013-10-28 09:00 · Score: 4, Funny

.
I, for one, suggest a low altitude detonation of a low-yield thermo-nuclear device at any potential landing sites prior to the landing attempt.
This should glass over the LZ and let any locals know that papa's coming home and he's pissed.
.

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GeneralEmergency
1. Re:Hmmm... by istartedi · 2013-10-28 09:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Just what we need. Another Europan war.
  
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  For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
2. Re:Hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-28 09:58 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Gaia is, and, has always been at war with West Europa
BOOM!, problem solved. by Thud457 · 2013-10-28 09:11 · Score: 5, Funny

Just drop a M-121 bomb on the LZ to clear things out before landing.
Take that spacecommies!
America, FUCK YEAH!

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the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Will it blend? by guruevi · 2013-10-28 09:55 · Score: 3, Funny

I put ice javelins in my blender, add some fruit and there you go, a smoothie. So just mount some BlendTec blenders on the bottom of the spacecraft and see if it "will blend". Would be some nice advertisements.

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Stupid NSA by cyber-vandal · 2013-10-28 10:02 · Score: 4, Funny

I'm not surprised Europa is a bit prickly at the moment.
mandatory by dutchwhizzman · 2013-10-28 11:21 · Score: 2, Funny

Think Europa is prickly? Unless it's freshly shaven, how about Uranus? *badum tish* (gets his coat)

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Zeus had no problem with it by darkHanzz · 2013-10-28 18:48 · Score: 4, Funny

Just saying...