Two prototypes for a NASA mission concept called SWIM (short for Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers) are arranged beside a much smaller nonfunctioning model representing the final envisioned size of the […]
cryobot
Posted inCryobiology, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Icy Ocean World Explorers For Future Astrobiology Missions
When NASA’s Europa Clipper reaches its destination in 2030, the spacecraft will prepare to aim an array of powerful science instruments toward Jupiter’s moon Europa during 49 flybys, looking for […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
NASA Studies Cryobots To Explore Ocean Worlds
In February 2023, researchers from around the country gathered at a NASA-sponsored workshop to discuss the latest developments and a roadmap for a cryobot mission concept to drill through the […]
![Evolution of the compaction coefficient λ(η, t) with the ice viscosity and the compaction time. The average ice compaction coefficient measured on Earth is given by the yellow line λ = 5.5 × 10−6 Pa−1 . Black square represents the location of the Antarctica A2 dataset in this graph, estimated from the local accumulation rate of snow. White square represents our scenario for Europa, where the compaction time is taken to be the ice crust age and for a viscosity of η = 1021 Pa s [23]. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GravityInducedIce.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Gravity-Induced Ice Compaction and Subsurface Porosity on Icy Moons
Our understanding of the surface porosity of icy moons and its evolution with depth remains limited, including the precise scale at which ice compaction occurs under self-weight pressure.