Exploring beneath the icy surfaces of Jupiter's or Saturn's moons could uncover one of astronomy's greatest treasures: extraterrestrial life. Researchers in Germany are edging us closer to that possibility with the development of an innovative subglacial probe. This new probe, equipped with both sonar and radar, is detailed in a study released on January 22 in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.
Michael Stelzig, a Ph.D. candidate at Friedrich Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in Germany and co-leader of the study, emphasizes the importance of water in the quest for life beyond Earth. This is why detecting water under the icy moons' surfaces is of immense interest to the astronomical community.
Scientists are eager to explore the subglacial regions of our solar system's icy moons, which are believed to harbor bodies of water. Previous missions like NASA's Cassini and ESA's upcoming Juice mission have conducted flybys of Jupiter's and Saturn's icy moons, providing initial insights into the potential for extraterrestrial life. However, to confirm the existence of life, a future mission will need a lander capable of drilling into the ice to collect subglacial samples.
To address this challenge, Stelzig's team developed a melting probe as part of the German Space Agency's TRIPLE project. This metal torpedo-like drilling system can melt through the ice while avoiding obstacles and gauging the distance to its target. Crucially, the probe includes a sensing system employing both radar and sonar technologies to navigate and gather data about the ice.
Combining radar and sonar allows researchers to leverage the strengths of each technology. Radar excels at detecting density changes but faces losses in wet ice, while sonar is ideal for wet environments but may lose efficiency if not properly coupled with the ice. Additionally, a permittivity sensor enhances radar range accuracy and collects scientific data about the ice.
Despite the technical challenges, the researchers successfully miniaturized the probe's antennas using a special ceramic with high thermal conductivity. This ceramic helps direct radar signals and maintains the probe's ability to melt through the ice rapidly.
Field tests on the Jungfraufirn glacier in Switzerland demonstrated the probe's functionality, achieving a maximum melting speed of 1.88 meters per hour. While these results are promising, further development is needed before deploying the melting probe on the surface of distant icy moons.
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