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Possible Spectroscopy Results of Europa Using Webb

Possible spectroscopy results of Europa’s water plumes
Source: NASA-GSFC/SVS, Hubble Space Telescope, Stefanie Milam, Geronimo Villanueva
Published: August 24, 2017

This simulation shows possible spectroscopy results of Europa’s water plumes, obtained using the Webb telescope’s NIRSpec instrument.

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This image, acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Sept. 26, 1998, shows features on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa that a scientific report interprets as signs of compressive folding.
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Folds on Europa
The flight model for MISE’s diffraction grating, which disperses light, in a manner similar to a prism, before the light strikes the instrument's detector.
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The flight model for MISE’s diffraction grating, which disperses light, in a manner similar to a prism, before the light strikes the instrument's detector.
MISE Diffraction Grating
The imaging spectrometer's scanning mirror and data procesing unit are loaded onto a shipping truck. 
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Members of Europa Clipper’s imaging spectrometer instrument, called MISE, team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory place a container loading the instrument’s scanning mirror and data processing unit on a shipping truck. The truck transported the instrument parts to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in November 2021.
Imaging Spectrometer Component Shipping
Artist’s illustration of Jupiter and Europa (in the foreground) with the Galileo spacecraft after its pass through a plume erupting from Europa’s surface.
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Artist’s illustration of Jupiter and Europa (in the foreground) with the Galileo .
Europa Scene: Plume, Galileo, Magnetic Field
These images reveal the dramatic topography of Europa's icy crust.
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A black and white and 3D image on ridges on Europa.
3D View of Double Ridges on Europa
Jupiter's moon Europa, as seen in this image taken June 27, 1996 by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, displays features in some areas resembling ice floes seen in Earth's polar seas.
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black and white view of circular features on icy surface
Europa Ice Floes
Marc Miller, a mechanical assembly technician at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), inspects the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) ion optics assembl...
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Marc Miller, a mechanical assembly technician at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), inspects the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) ion optics assembly. The optics will turn and focus the ions generated when hypervelocity dust particles strike SUDA’s metal target plate.
SUDA Assembly
This image of Europa's surface was obtained by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system on board NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its fourth orbit of Jupiter, Linear features with bright central stripe...
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Near-Terminator Image of Europa
Does life exist beyond Earth? Ocean worlds like Europa could be habitable and possibly even inhabited. 
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Dr. Kevin Hand addresses an audience at the Planetary Science: Vision 2050 Workshop
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Scientists put Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph through its final calibrations prior to shipment to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Scientists put Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph through its final calibrations prior to shipment to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph Shipment Preparations
Europa Clipper’s surface dust analyzer instrument was delivered to JPL in September 2022. 
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A large group of engineers in full white body coveralls stand surrounding Europa Clipper’s surface dust analyzer. All the engineers are giving a “thumbs up” hand gesture to indicate that the instrument was successfully delivered. Nine engineers stand to the left of a silver workbench, on which the instrument rests, and six stand to the right of the workbench. The instrument is gold colored and about the size of a drum, resting on its side. The instrument is resting upon a silver workbench in the cleanroom.
Europa Clipper's Dust Analyzer Delivered to JPL
This video shows a test deployment of Europa Clipper’s very high frequency (VHF) radar antenna.
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video of a test deployment of Europa Clipper’s very high frequency (VHF) radar antenna
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The puzzling, fascinating surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa looms large in this newly-reprocessed color view.
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Europa view
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Engineers stand next to Europa Clipper's wide-angle camera in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, following its delivery in June 2022. 
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Eleven engineers wearing full white coveralls and masks stand around a metallic table in a clean room. Europa Clipper's wide-angle camera rests on the metallic table. Several engineers are giving a thumbs up hand gesture, indicating that the instrument has successfully undergone functional tests following its delivery to JPL.
Europa Imaging System Wide-Angle Camera Delivered to JPL
The telescope housing for Europa Clipper’s E-THEMIS instrument.
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The telescope housing for Europa Clipper’s E-THEMIS instrument.
E-THEMIS Telescope Housing
The high gain antenna is visible moving into the test area at NASA's Langley Research Center. 
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The high gain antenna is attached to mechanical supports and then lifted into position in a large room for testing.
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This animation segment shows NASA’s Europa Clipper flying by Mars during its Mars gravity assist. 
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An animations showing the spacecraft flying by Mars during its Mars Gravity Assist, which will further propel the spacecraft toward Jupiter.
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A JPL engineer holds one of four VHF radar antennas for Europa Clipper’s REASON instrument in its deployed configuration.
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A JPL engineer holds one of four VHF radar antennas for Europa Clipper’s REASON instrument in its deployed configuration.
REASON VHF Radar Antenna
An engineer integrates an electronics board onto the ion detector for Europa Clipper’s dust analyzer.
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A small electronics device, with electronics visible at the top and gold metal around the bottom, is visible on a table. A person wearing white coveralls and light blue gloves is seen holding the device with both hands. Addition equipment is visible on the table surrounding the device, including a silver wire.
Integrating Electronics onto the Ion Detector for Europa Clipper's Dust Analyzer
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Staff Engineer Yvette Tyler performs integration and testing on the electronics box for Europa Clipper’s mass spectrometer.
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Image showing Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Staff Engineer Yvette Tyler performs integration and testing on the electronics box for Europa Clipper’s mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer will analyze gases in Europa’s faint atmosphere and possible plumes. It will study the chemistry of the moon’s suspected subsurface ocean, how ocean and surface exchange material, and how radiation alters compounds on the moon’s surface.
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Jupiter and its four planet-size moons, called the Galilean satellites, were photographed in early March 1979 by Voyager 1 and assembled into this collage. 
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Jupiter and its four largest moons
Jupiter System Montage
Engineers following initial inspections of Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph in a cleanroom at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
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Engineers giving thumbs ups following initial inspections of Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph in a cleanroom at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph Delivered to JPL
How did the team working on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft test whether the spacecraft will work properly in outer space?
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Video showing Europa Clipper undergoing testing in a special chamber to simulate conditions in space.
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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.
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NASA’s Europa Clipper is the first mission dedicated to studying Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, one of the most promising places in our solar system to find an environment suitable for life outside of ...
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Video explaining NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon, Europa.
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