Universe& Planetsuniverseandplanets.com
Back to mission design

Mission Design Challenge

Investigate Europa's Habitability

Saved locally on this device
Learning goals
  • Match instruments to the science goals of the challenge.
  • Balance mass, power, cost, risk, and communication throughput.
  • Explain your design tradeoffs in your own words.
Help & glossary
  • Meters update in real time so you can see the impact of each choice.
  • Errors are red; warnings are amber. You can still launch with warnings.
  • Your written explanation stays on this device.

This is an educational mission-design simulation. Scores and simplified engineering values do not represent an approved or operational NASA mission.

1. Briefing2. Platform3. Power4. Comms5. Instruments6. Timeline7. Explanation8. Results

Mission briefing

Design an orbiter mission around Jupiter that performs repeated close flybys of Europa. Your goals are to characterize the ice shell, confirm the subsurface ocean, and analyze surface chemistry. You must budget carefully within Jupiter's harsh radiation environment.

Destination
Europa (Jupiter moon)
Mission type
Multi-flyby
Environment
radiation, distant-sun, cold-night

Science goals

  • Confirm subsurface liquid-water ocean.
  • Characterize ice-shell thickness and structure.
  • Analyze non-ice surface composition and any active plumes.

Sources