Author: Mark Alexander

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This is Exciting!

Artist’s rendition of the surface of Europa, based on everything we know now.

There are a number of space missions scheduled for the future and they’re all awesome, but there is ONE mission in particular that spaghettifies my mind with its gravitational pull more so than the rest. That is the Europa Clipper mission!

Onwards to Jupiter’s water moon, Europa!!

What scientists think lurks beneath Europa’s icy surface.

• The Europa Clipper mission will target the ice-encrusted moon of Jupiter, which is considered a prime target in the search for life beyond Earth.

• Below its icy shell, Europa is thought to hold a 170km-deep body of water that  could have the right conditions for biology.

• Due to launch in October 2024, let’s hope we don’t get a repeat of the ongoing James Webb Telescope delay.

• Europa Clipper will carry out an in-depth investigation of the watery world, including whether it can support life in its subsurface ocean.

• Gravitational interactions with Jupiter generate tidal forces and heat, which keeps Europa’s ocean liquid. The heating may even drive volcanic vents on the seafloor; on Earth, such vent systems support a wide array of life forms.

The relative amount of water scientists think is under Europa’s ice shell vs. the total amount of all the water on Earth.

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DOJ to Probe Trump-era Subpoenas of Lawmaker Records

DOJ to probe Trump-era subpoenas of lawmaker records

The Justice Department’s internal watchdog will investigate the secret seizure of data from Democratic lawmakers and reporters during leak investigations initiated under the Trump administration.
The probe follows news of a department decision in 2017 and 2018 to issue subpoenas seeking metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and fellow committee member Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) during leak investigations.

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