Europa, one of the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter is one of the most intriguing locations in the Solar System to search for life. However, its subsurface oceans are buried beneath thick layers of ice making exploration difficult. To explore its oceans, scientists have suggested using small swimming robots capable of penetrating the icy shell. … Continue reading "Testing the Robots that Might Explore Europa"

Europa is one of the most exciting places to search for life in the Solar System. Unfortunately, its vast oceans of liquid water are surrounded by thick sheets of ice. But if we could bore down through the ice shell, small swimming robots could be deployed to search for evidence of life. NASA engineers recently tested prototype robots that would work as a swarm to explore the mysterious sub-ice oceans on various icy worlds across the Solar System.