For about a year, an initiative international group of scientists has been developing a project to send a research mission to Jupiter. One of her goals is the search for extraterrestrial life. Scientists discuss technical solutions and scientific tasks of the project at the first international seminar, which is being held these days at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The problem of the existence of extraterrestrial life on the bodies of the solar system has been of interest to scientists for many generations. The discovery of even primitive alien organisms that do not fundamentally differ from terrestrial ones, say, by their genetic code, would radically change our ideas about the place and nature of the processes that led to the emergence and spread of life in the Universe.
Mars has always been considered the most likely "contender" for the discovery of extraterrestrial life. These views gained support at the beginning of the 21st century. The Russian neutron detector installed on the American spacecraft "2001 Mars Odyssey", already in the first weeks of operation, not only confirmed the presence of water on the planet, but found its huge reserves.
Only in the region of the South Pole of Mars are the deposits of water ice such that if it is melted, the water will cover the entire planet with a layer 11 m thick. A real ocean. Moreover, some 100,000 years ago, that is, when there was already intelligent life on Earth, this ocean was in a liquid state. And where there is water, there may be, and some scientists believe - there must be life.
No less significant discovery was made by researchers working with the European spacecraft "Mars Express". With the help of a Fourier spectrometer, in the creation of which Russian specialists also took part, a significant amount of methane gas was detected in the cloud layer of Mars, which may be of biological origin.
In order for its content to remain at the identified level, it is necessary to annually enter the atmosphere in an amount of about 150 tons. Judging by a number of indirect signs, in reality, the rate of "production" of methane may be 25 million tons, but a significant part of it is oxidized into formaldehyde. Moreover, areas where the amount of methane is higher than the global average, geographically coincide with areas of increased ice content on the planet and water vapor in its atmosphere.
Of course, the surface of the Red Planet is not well suited for life, but even at a shallow depth, the conditions for it can be quite acceptable. It is possible, in particular, that below the ice layer there are voids filled with liquid water fed by geothermal heat. It is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Quite complex organisms can also exist there.
To dispel doubts and get an unambiguous answer, it is planned to deliver a large rover to the planet, equipped with sensitive detectors capable of picking up signs of biological activity. Russian scientists will also take part in these studies.
Promotional video:
Another celestial body of the solar system, where some kind of organic matter can be found, is Europa, the largest satellite of the planet Jupiter, commensurate with our Moon.
Photo of the surface of Ganymede.
The American spacecraft Voyager and Galileo, flying past him, registered strange magnetic anomalies. When analyzing these data, it was found that under the ice shell covering the entire surface of Europa, a salty ocean up to 90 km deep splashes. The source of heat that keeps it in a liquid state was considered the attraction of Jupiter: it deforms the rocky core of the satellite and internal friction creates thermal energy.
Recent calculations have shown that the bulk of the heat is still released not due to the deformation of the core, but due to the friction of water against ice. For the appearance of life, similar to the metabolism of the earth, the presence of oxidizing substances is necessary. Such substances can form on the ice surface. The ice itself on Europa is thin enough so that faults could appear in it and these substances from the surface fell into the water.
Lake Vostok, discovered by Russian scientists in Antarctica under a thick layer of ice, can be considered a kind of miniature analogue of the ocean of Europe. Viable organisms were found in it at a depth of about 4 km.
In recent years, several promising projects have been developed for studying the satellite of Jupiter using spacecraft. One of them is the international project "Laplace", which is planned to be implemented in 2015-2020. with the participation of European, American, Russian and Japanese scientists.
The initial essence of the project is as follows: the mission should include four spacecraft - one working in orbit around Jupiter, the other around Europa, one more for studying the magnetospheric "tail" of the planet and, finally, a landing spacecraft for landing on Europa's surface. But when the Europeans calculated everything, it turned out that the creation of a lander was beyond their means, and not even within their power, and they abandoned it. Then this part of the project was taken over by Russian scientists.
Thus, one of the vehicles will explore Jupiter itself and its moon Ganymede, which also has a lot of water, although no liquid ocean was found there.
Another one will revolve around Europe. But, since its orbit will pass close enough to Jupiter itself, and the radiation situation there is difficult, the lifetime of the onboard research equipment will not exceed one, maximum two months.
The Japanese space agency is preparing means for monitoring the outer regions, including for the study of Jupiter's magnetic "tail" and magnetic storms on it. The Japanese will also observe "space weather" near Jupiter and the interaction of its magnetic field with the solar wind.
The Russian part of the mission is the hardest. It is necessary not only to create a landing module, but also to ensure its landing. There are many problems to be solved.
Firstly, it is necessary to fly to Europe first, and beyond Mars, Soviet interplanetary stations never flew. At the same time, many long-distance expeditions were unsuccessful to one degree or another, with the exception of perhaps a mission to Halley's comet.
Further, - as already mentioned, in the vicinity of Jupiter there is very high radiation. For example, the Americans believe that their device will work at best in Europe's orbit for no more than 100 days. Domestic scientists have much less experience in creating radiation-resistant equipment. A more or less acceptable option would be the landing of the Russian spacecraft on the side of Europe opposite to Jupiter. In this case, it will become a kind of shield that will partially cover the lander from the powerful radiation of the planet.
And, finally, the landing itself is quite difficult from all points of view, including the choice of the landing site, the event.
On the surface of Europa, there are many faults and cracks formed as a result of meteorite falls. They broke through a layer of ice, and at the same time water was thrown onto the surface, which immediately froze.
The descent vehicle must be planted softly enough in the area of one of these faults and the ice composing it must be investigated. It is also planned to actively influence the surface of the Jupiter satellite from the lander in order to obtain "clear ice" and its subsequent analysis.
The research program proposed by Russian scientists on the surface of Europe is technically and programmatically completely independent. The participation of foreign partners in the mission is planned only in terms of relaying scientific data through the spacecraft of the "European flotilla".
At the same time, Russia's international cooperation in the implementation of the Laplace project with other countries is an excellent example for the implementation of many other space programs. In general, such cooperation is notable for the fact that it leads to a reduction in the costs of each of the parties.