CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — New research suggests there’s less oxygen on the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa than thought — and that could affect what if any life might be lurking in the moon’s underground ocean.

Scientists believe that there could be microbes thriving in the ocean beneath Europa’s icy surface, even in low oxygen environments. According to a study published in Nature Astronomy, NASA scientist Kevin Hand, not involved in the study, stated that there is potential for other discoveries in this area.

Hand stated that further efforts are necessary to validate these discoveries, as they contradict previous telescope studies that revealed a greater amount of oxygen present in the ice of Europa.

This recently conducted research utilized information gathered by NASA’s Juno spacecraft during a close pass by Europa in 2022, at a mere distance of 219 miles (353 kilometers).

According to a joint U.S.-European study, 6 to 18 kilograms (equivalent to 13 to 39 pounds) of oxygen are generated on Europa’s surface every second.

Earlier calculations had a broader range, suggesting that up to 2,245 pounds (1,100 kilograms) of oxygen could be generated per second. Therefore, according to the researchers, the more recent data indicates a more specific range for the potential habitability of Europa, unless its oxygen production was notably greater in the past.

As a result of Jupiter’s radiation, Europa’s frozen water shell is bombarded and produces oxygen and hydrogen.

Lead author James Szalay of Princeton University said Juno’s flyby was the first time a spacecraft “directly sniffed” Europa’s surroundings. “We couldn’t wait to peek behind the curtain of its complex environment,” he said in an email.

According to Szalay, the range is narrower than initially anticipated, but there is still much to be gained from studying it.

The amount of oxygen that is lost into the moon’s atmosphere, retained in the ice, and that potentially reaches the underground ocean is currently unconfirmed.

NASA intends to send the Europa Clipper into space in the upcoming autumn season. As the spacecraft orbits the gas giant, it will conduct numerous close passes of Europa, a celestial body comparable in size to our Moon.

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Source: wral.com