{"id":356797,"date":"2026-01-28T05:21:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=948786"},"modified":"2026-01-28T05:21:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:21:58","slug":"nasas-juno-measures-thickness-of-europas-ice-shell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=356797","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Juno Measures Thickness of Europa\u2019s Ice Shell"},"content":{"rendered":"
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5 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Jupiter\u2019s<\/a><\/figure>
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Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa was captured by the JunoCam instrument aboard NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft during the mission\u2019s close flyby on Sept. 29, 2022. The images show the fractures, ridges, and bands that crisscross the moon\u2019s surface.<\/div>\n
Image data: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSS Image processing: Bj\u00f6rn J\u00f3nsson (CC BY 3.0)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Results from the solar-powered spacecraft provide a new measurement of the thickness of the ice shell encasing the Jovian moon\u2019s ocean<\/em>.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Data from NASA\u2019s Juno mission has provided new insights into the thickness and subsurface structure of the icy shell encasing Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa. Using the spacecraft\u2019s Microwave Radiometer (MWR), mission scientists determined that the shell averages about 18 miles (29 kilometers) thick in the region observed during Juno\u2019s 2022 flyby of Europa. The Juno measurement is the first to discriminate between thin and thick shell models that have suggested the ice shell is anywhere from less than half a mile to tens of miles thick.  <\/p>\n

Slightly smaller than Earth\u2019s moon, Europa is one of the solar system\u2019s highest-priority science targets<\/a> for investigating habitability. Evidence suggests that the ingredients for life may exist in the saltwater ocean that lies beneath its ice shell. Uncovering a variety of characteristics of the ice shell, including its thickness, provides crucial pieces of the puzzle for understanding the moon\u2019s internal workings and the potential for the existence of a habitable environment. <\/p>\n

The new estimate on the ice thickness in the near-surface icy crust was published<\/a> on Dec. 17 in the journal Nature Astronomy. <\/p>\n

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\"An<\/a><\/figure>
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This artist\u2019s concept depicts a cutaway view showing Europa\u2019s ice shell. Data used to generate a new result on the ice thickness and structure was collected by the microwave radiometer instrument on NASA\u2019s Juno during a close flyby of the Jovian moon on Sept. 29, 2022.<\/div>\n
NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/Koji Kuramura\/ Gerald Eichst\u00e4dt (CC BY)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Catching waves<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

Although the MWR instrument<\/a> was designed to investigate Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere below the cloud tops, the novel instrument has proven valuable for studying the gas giant\u2019s icy and volcanic moons as well. <\/p>\n

On Sept. 29, 2022, Juno<\/a> came within about 220 miles (360 kilometers) of Europa\u2019s frozen surface. During the flyby, MWR collected data on about half the moon\u2019s surface, peering beneath the ice to measure its temperatures at various depths.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 18-mile estimate relates to the cold, rigid, conductive outer-layer of a pure water ice shell,\u201d said Steve Levin, Juno project scientist and co-investigator from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission. \u201cIf an inner, slightly warmer convective layer also exists, which is possible, the total ice shell thickness would be even greater. If the ice shell contains a modest amount of dissolved salt, as suggested by some models, then our estimate of the shell thickness would be reduced by about 3 miles.\u201d  <\/p>\n

The thick shell, as suggested by the MWR data, implies a longer route that oxygen and nutrients would have to travel to connect Europa\u2019s surface with its subsurface ocean. Understanding this process may be relevant to future studies of Europa\u2019s habitability.  <\/p>\n

Cracks, pores<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

The MWR data also provides new insights into the makeup of the ice just below Europa\u2019s surface. The instrument revealed the presence of \u201cscatterers\u201d \u2014 irregularities in the near-surface ice such as cracks, pores, and voids that scatter the instrument\u2019s microwaves reflecting off the ice (similar to how visible light is scattered in ice cubes). These scatterers are estimated to be no bigger than a few inches in diameter and appear to extend to depths of hundreds of feet below Europa\u2019s surface. <\/p>\n

The small size and shallow depth of these features, as modeled in this study, suggest they are unlikely to be a significant pathway for oxygen and nutrients to travel from Europa\u2019s surface to its salty ocean. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow thick the ice shell is and the existence of cracks or pores within the ice shell are part of the complex puzzle for understanding Europa\u2019s potential habitability,\u201d said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. \u201cThey provide critical context for NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper and the ESA (European Space Agency) Juice (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) spacecraft \u2014 both of which are on their way to the Jovian system.\u201d Europa Clipper will arrive there in 2030, while Juice will arrive the year after.  <\/p>\n

Juno will carry out its 81st flyby of Jupiter on Feb. 25.\u202f <\/p>\n

More about Juno <\/strong> <\/h2>\n

A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA\u2019s New Frontiers Program, managed at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency\u2019s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. <\/p>\n

To learn more about Juno, go to:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/juno<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

News Media Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Karen Fox \/ Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 \/ 240-419-1732
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov \/ molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Deb Schmid\u00a0
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio\u00a0
210-522-2254\u00a0
dschmid@swri.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

2026-004<\/p>\n

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