In addition to gathering more information about the moons than anticipated, the little craft should give us some valuable info about the composition of Jupiter. I mean, looking at gas spectra is one thing, but direct measurement can be quite revealing. For instance, the layers can mask each other, and temperatures are hard to measure from a distance. This all assumes that it will survive the enormous electromagnetic field that the gas giant produces; signals might not be able to pass through relatively unchanged from any surviving spacecraft anyway.
BTW, NASA should consider Io or Ganymede as crash sites. An "extreme closeup":-) of Ganymede might reveal or at least shed light upon the origin of the tracklike patterns on its surface. Or maybe solve the mystery of whether either of the moons has a subterranean sea. There is a good chance that Ganymede does, based on massings and spectra analysis. Io isn't as mysterious, but crashing there would give us a view that no sane spacecraft would attempt to acheive, and maybe worthwhile questions or insights could be gleaned from the photos. Or just some great eye-candy!
Actually, there is mounting evidence of water on Mars. Check out the National Geographic website and search on the topic. If I remember correctly, the article states that hi-res photos of the canali have shown strange features: the sloping walls often have a horizontal smooth band with rubble/debris below, suggesting a landslide. And it is generally accepted that water is very likely to exist as a liquid (under pressure) a few hundred feet down. The new theory goes like this: As the pressure builds, the water seeks new areas, expands cracks, etc. Eventually it reaches a canyon wall (from the inside) and bursts through. The rubble and ice are thrown out and down and the ice sublimates (thus the rubble), there is a small rockslide from above adding to the debris and accounting for observed vertical striations), and the bursting point seals off (the water freezes, then sublimates near the surface). If Mars were to be terraformed, artesian wells would be incredibly productive. I have the article somewhere on my desk, but that's not worth much since I can't find it. Oh well. Anyway, check out the website for the full explanation plus pictures.
Slashdot Mirror
In addition to gathering more information about the moons than anticipated, the little craft should give us some valuable info about the composition of Jupiter. I mean, looking at gas spectra is one thing, but direct measurement can be quite revealing. For instance, the layers can mask each other, and temperatures are hard to measure from a distance. This all assumes that it will survive the enormous electromagnetic field that the gas giant produces; signals might not be able to pass through relatively unchanged from any surviving spacecraft anyway. BTW, NASA should consider Io or Ganymede as crash sites. An "extreme closeup" :-) of Ganymede might reveal or at least shed light upon the origin of the tracklike patterns on its surface. Or maybe solve the mystery of whether either of the moons has a subterranean sea. There is a good chance that Ganymede does, based on massings and spectra analysis. Io isn't as mysterious, but crashing there would give us a view that no sane spacecraft would attempt to acheive, and maybe worthwhile questions or insights could be gleaned from the photos. Or just some great eye-candy!
Actually, there is mounting evidence of water on Mars. Check out the National Geographic website and search on the topic. If I remember correctly, the article states that hi-res photos of the canali have shown strange features: the sloping walls often have a horizontal smooth band with rubble/debris below, suggesting a landslide. And it is generally accepted that water is very likely to exist as a liquid (under pressure) a few hundred feet down. The new theory goes like this: As the pressure builds, the water seeks new areas, expands cracks, etc. Eventually it reaches a canyon wall (from the inside) and bursts through. The rubble and ice are thrown out and down and the ice sublimates (thus the rubble), there is a small rockslide from above adding to the debris and accounting for observed vertical striations), and the bursting point seals off (the water freezes, then sublimates near the surface). If Mars were to be terraformed, artesian wells would be incredibly productive. I have the article somewhere on my desk, but that's not worth much since I can't find it. Oh well. Anyway, check out the website for the full explanation plus pictures.