Skip Navigation
menu close modal

All Resources

Plasma Detection Instrument Delivered to JPL

A group of engineers in full white coveralls with masks stand in a clean room. Several engineers are giving a thumbs up hand gesture. They are standing around two faraday cups, part of the spacecraft's plasma detection instrument, following functional tests performed after the instrument was delivered to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern, California.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Published: July 18, 2022

Engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) stand next to Europa Clipper's plasma detection instrument, called the Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS), in a clean room at JPL in Southern California, following a series of functional tests. APL delivered the instrument to JPL in June 2022.

Related content pages

ENLARGE

Related

This is an engineering model of Europa Clipper’s wide-angle camera, shown at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
More
This is an engineering model of Europa Clipper’s wide-angle camera, shown at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Europa Clipper's Europa Imaging System in the Works
The scanning mirror and data processing unit of Europa Clipper’s imaging spectrometer instrument.
More
The scanning mirror and data processing unit of Europa Clipper’s imaging spectrometer instrument, called MISE, are critical to determining the habitability of the ocean that likely resides beneath Europa’s surface.
Imaging Spectrometer's Scanning Mirror and Data Processing Unit
This is a composite of two images of Jupiter's icy moon Europa obtained from a range of 2,119 miles (3,410 kilometers) by the Galileo spacecraft during its fourth orbit around Jupiter and its first...
More
rough terrain on an icy surface
Structurally Complex Surface of Europa
Europa Clipper’s 28-foot (8.5-meter) magnetometer boom is deployed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
More
Seven workers in white lab coats, cleanroom bouffant caps, and blue face masks stand near Europa Clipper’s magnetometer boom after the boom was unfurled. The boom is covered in protective silver-colored material and is supported by several aluminum-colored stands.
The Europa Clipper Magnetometer Boom Deployed
Europa's surface as seen by the Galileo spacecraft during its 17th orbit around Jupiter.
More
criss-crossing ridges and grooves
Europa's Rhadamanthys Linea
This is a high resolution picture of Jupiter's moon Europa. The area shown is about 5.9 by 9.9 miles (9.6 by 16 kilometers) and the smallest visible feature is about the size of a football field.
More
black and white view of rough terrain on an icy surface
Ridges on Europa
A worker kneels beside Europa Clipper’s narrow-angle camera.
More
A worker kneels beside the Europa Clipper’s narrow-angle camera (NAC), which is on a metal platform with rods sticking straight up at the corners of the platform. The worker is covered head-to-toe in white protective clothing called a bunny suit. The worker is wearing a blue head covering, and a bright blue face mask. The NAC is wrapped in silver-colored insulating material, it has a round base about the size of tire. The lens is sticking out at an angle and is laced up inside the insulating material.
Europa Clipper's Narrow-Angle Camera Delivered to JPL
This mosaic of an area just southeast of the multi-ring impact structure called Tyre combines two sets of images.
More
Black and white image of terrain.
Rugged Terrain
This complex area on the side of Europa which faces away from Jupiter shows several types of features which are formed by disruptions of Europa's icy crust.
More
black and white view of rough terrain on an icy surface
Scrambled Ice
Workers use a crane to lift a high-gain antenna to install it on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft.
More
Workers in white protective clothing stand on a platform with the Europa Clipper's high gain antenna. The antenna is being lifted by a crane.
Europa Clipper Gets Its High-Gain On
An engineer testing the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) electronic box next to the partially assembled instrument in the cleanroom at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the Uni...
More
An image showing an engineer testing the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) electronic box next to the partially assembled instrument in the cleanroom at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Dust Analyzer Electronics Testing
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This graphic shows the expected timeline of milestones immediately following lifto...
More
A graphic with a purple curved line bending upward from the bottom left side of the page to show what happens to Europa Clipper after launch. Small illustrations show the rocket at launch, booster separation, stage separations, fairing jettison, parking orbit, rocket burns to boost the spaceship toward Jupiter, and finally separation of the spacecraft from the remaining piece of the launch vehicle. A table on the right side of the illustration gives times for each of the events depicted by the graphic.
Europa Clipper Launch Ascent Timeline
Europa Clipper's propulsion module sits in the cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
More
Europa Clipper's propulsion module sits in the cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Europa Clipper Propulsion Module
Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph in a cleanroom at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
More
Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph in a cleanroom at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph Delivered to JPL
Ridges disrupted by the localized formation of domes may be indicative of thermal upwelling of water from beneath Europa's crust.
More
Rugged terrain on Europa.
Dome-Shaped Features on Europa
Engineers work on Europa Clipper's electronics vault.
More
Three engineers wearing full-body coveralls, gloves, and masks use special tools to wipe fastener holes along the top edges of a hollow metal box about the size of a large living-room chair.
Electronics Vault
This animation segment shows the fairing separation after NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft leaves Earth. 
More
An animation showing the payload fairing, which is the nose cone used to protect a spacecraft payload during launch, separating and revealing the Europa Clipper spacecraft after launch.
Mission Animation: Fairing Separation
This high resolution image shows the ice-rich crust of Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter.
More
black and white view of rough terrain on an icy surface
Europa Ice Rafts
This artist's concept illustrates two possible cut-away views through Europa's ice shell.
More
Illustration of possible ice depths on Europa.
Thick or Thin Ice Shell on Europa?
Two major pieces of hardware – Europa Clipper’s vault, with the nadir deck attached – are prepared for a move to the High Bay 1 clean room of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA’s Jet Propulsi...
More
Two major pieces of flight hardware for the Europa Clipper spacecraft are attached to a flotron machine in a cleanroom. The hardware is visible in the rear middle of the images. The flotron is a large structure that allows the hardware to be rotated and moved for assembly purposes. The flight hardware consists of a large aluminum vault, which is shaped like a box. Within the vault, sensitive electronics will live, protecting them from radiation in Jupiter's environment. Attached the vault is a metal deck, called the nadir deck. Attached to this metal deck are multiple instrument sensors and cameras, which will allow the spacecraft to conduct science. Four engineers in full body coveralls and masks are seen working on flotron. An American flag is visible in the top left of the image.
NASA's Europa Clipper: Vault and Nadir Deck on Their Way
Workers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California watch as the Europa Clipper’s magnetometer boom is tested.
More
Three workers in white lab coats, cleanroom bouffant caps, and blue face masks watch as Europa Clipper’s magnetometer boom is tested. Part of the equipment holding the boom can be seen in front of the workers.
Europa Clipper Magnetometer Boom is Tested
An engineer ground tests Europa Clipper’s dust analyzer.
More
The SUDA sensor head rests upon a table in a clean room. The sensor head is gold in color, shaped slightly like a drum on its side with a door facing the viewer that is closed. An engineer in white coveralls, a mask, and light blue gloves is on the right side of the image and is seen peering over the instrument. The engineer is holding a handheld device attached a blue wire, which itself is attached to the sensor head, and they perform a test. Is a purple light is shown on the table and on the front of the engineer.
Electrical Ground Testing Europa Clipper's Dust Analyzer
This is an artist's concept of a plume of water vapor thought to be ejected off the frigid, icy surface of the Jovian moon Europa.
More
plume erupting from icy surface with Jupiter in the sky
Artist's Concept of Europa Water Vapor Plume
The high gain antenna is visible moving into the test area at NASA's Langley Research Center. 
More
The high gain antenna is attached to mechanical supports and then lifted into position in a large room for testing.
High Gain Antenna Testing Time Lapse
Europa Clipper’s SUDA instrument, pictured in the clean room, will collect and analyze particles lifted from Europa’s surface by micrometeorites.
More
Europa Clipper’s SUDA instrument, pictured in the clean room, will collect and analyze particles lifted from Europa’s surface by micrometeorites.
SUDA Assembly and Testing