Science Goals and Mission Architecture of the Europa Lander Mission Concept

Creators: Hand, K. P.; Phillips, C. B.; Murray, A.; Garvin, J. B.; Maize, E. H.; Gibbs, R. G.; Reeves, G.; San Martin, A. M.; Tan-Wang, G. H.; Krajewski, J.; Hurst, K.; Crum, R.; Kennedy, B. A.; McElrath, T. P.; Gallon, J. C.; Sabahi, D.; Thurman, S. W.; Goldstein, B.; Estabrook, P.; Lee, S. W.; Dooley, J. A.; Brinckerhoff, W. B.; Edgett, K. S.; German, C. R.; Hoehler, T. M.; Hörst, S. M.; Lunine, J. I.; Paranicas, C.; Nealson, K.; Smith, D. E.; Templeton, A. S.; Russell, M. J.; Schmidt, B.; Christner, B.; Ehlmann, B.; Hayes, A.; Rhoden, A.; Willis, P.; Yingst, R. A.; Craft, K.; Cameron, M. E.; Nordheim, T.; Pitesky, J.; Scully, J.; Hofgartner, J.; Sell, S. W.; Barltrop, K. J.; Izraelevitz, J.; Brandon, E. J.; Seong, J.; Jones, J.-P.; Pasalic, J.; Billings, K. J.; Ruiz, J. P.; Bugga, R. V.; Graham, D.; Arenas, L. A.; Takeyama, D.; Drummond, M.; Aghazarian, H.; Andersen, A. J.; Andersen, K. B.; Anderson, E. W.; Babuscia, A.; Backes, P. G.; Bailey, E. S.; Balentine, D.; Ballard, C. G.; Berisford, D. F.; Bhandari, P.; Blackwood, K.; Bolotin, G. S.; Bovre, E. A.; Bowkett, J.; Boykins, K. T.; Bramble, M. S.; Brice, T. M.; Briggs, P.; Brinkman, A. P.; Brooks, S. M.; Buffington, B. B.; Burns, B.; Cable, M. L.; Campagnola, S.; Cangahuala, L. A.; Carr, G. A.; Casani, J. R.; Chahat, N. E.; Chamberlain-Simon, B. K.; Cheng, Y.; Chien, S. A.; Cook, B. T.; Cooper, M.; DiNicola, M.; Clement, B.; Dean, Z.; Cullimore, E. A.; Curtis, A. G.; de la Croix, J.-P.; Di Pasquale, P.; Dodd, E. M.; Dubord, L. A.; Edlund, J. A.; Ellyin, R.; Emanuel, B.; Foster, J. T.; Ganino, A. J.; Garner, G. J.; Gibson, M. T.; Gildner, M.; Glazebrook, K. J.; Greco, M. E.; Green, W. M.; Hatch, S. J.; Hetzel, M. M.; Hoey, W. A.; Hofmann, A. E.; Ionasescu, R.; Jain, A.; Jasper, J. D.; Johannesen, J. R.; Johnson, G. K.; Jun, I.; Katake, A. B.; Kim-Castet, S. Y.; Kim, D. I.; Kim, W.; Klonicki, E. F.; Kobeissi, B.; Kobie, B. D.; Kochocki, J.; Kokorowski, M.; Kosberg, J. A.; Kriechbaum, K.; Kulkarni, T. P.; Lam, R. L.; Landau, D. F.; Lattimore, M. A.; Laubach, S. L.; Lawler, C. R.; Lim, G.; Lin, J. Y.; Litwin, T. E.; Lo, M. W.; Logan, C. A.; Maghasoudi, E.; Mandrake, L.; Marchetti, Y.; Marteau, E.; Maxwell, K. A.; Mc Namee, J. B.; Mcintyre, O.; Meacham, M.; Melko, J. P.; Mueller, J.; Muliere, D. A.; Mysore, A.; Nash, J.; Ono, H.; Parker, J. M.; Perkins, R. C.; Petropoulos, A. E.; Gaut, A.; Piette Gomez, M. Y.; Casillas, R. P.; Preudhomme, M.; Pyrzak, G.; Rapinchuk, J.; Ratliff, J. M.; Ray, T. L.; Roberts, E. T.; Roffo, K.; Roth, D. C.; Russino, J. A.; Schmidt, T. M.; Schoppers, M. J.; Senent, J. S.; Serricchio, F.; Sheldon, D. J.; Shiraishi, L. R.; Shirvanian, J.; Siegel, K. J.; Singh, G.; Sirota, A. R.; Skulsky, E. D.; Stehly, J. S.; Strange, N. J.; Stevens, S. U.; Sunada, E. T.; Tepsuporn, S. P.; Tosi, L. P. C.; Trawny, N.; Uchenik, I.; Verma, V.; Volpe, R. A.; Wagner, C. T.; Wang, D.; Willson, R. G.; Wolff, J. L.; Wong, A. T.; Zimmer, A. K.; Sukhatme, K. G.; Bago, K. A.; Chen, Y.; Deardorff, A. M.; Kuch, R. S.; Lim, C.; Syvertson, M. L.; Arakaki, G. A.; Avila, A.; DeBruin, K. J.; Frick, A.; Harris, J. R.; Heverly, M. C.; Kawata, J. M.; Kim, S.-K.; Kipp, D. M.; Murphy, J.; Smith, M. W.; Spaulding, M. D.; Thakker, R.; Warner, N. Z.; Yahnker, C. R.; Young, M. E.; Magner, T.; Adams, D.; Bedini, P.; Mehr, L.; Sheldon, C.; Vernon, S.; Bailey, V.; Briere, M.; Butler, M.; Davis, A.; Ensor, S.; Gannon, M.; Haapala-Chalk, A.; Hartka, T.; Holdridge, M.; Hong, A.; Hunt, J.; Iskow, J.; Kahler, F.; Murray, K.; Napolillo, D.; Norkus, M.; Pfisterer, R.; Porter, J.; Roth, D.; Schwartz, P.; Wolfarth, L.; Cardiff, E. H.; Davis, A.; Grob, E. W.; Adam, J. R.; Betts, E.; Norwood, J.; Heller, M. M.; Voskuilen, T.; Sakievich, P.; Gray, L.; Hansen, D. J.; Irick, K. W.; Hewson, J. C.; Lamb, J.; Stacy, S. C.; Brotherton, C. M.; Tappan, A. S.; Benally, D.; Thigpen, H.; Ortiz, E.; Sandoval, D.; Ison, A. M.; Warren, M.; Stromberg, P. G.; Thelen, P. M.; Blasy, B.; Nandy, P.; Haddad, A. W.; Trujillo, L. B.; Wiseley, T. H.; Bell, S. A.; Teske, N. P.; Post, C.; Torres-Castro, L.; Grosso, C.; Wasiolek, M.

Abstract

Europa is a premier target for advancing both planetary science and astrobiology, as well as for opening a new window into the burgeoning field of comparative oceanography. The potentially habitable subsurface ocean of Europa may harbor life, and the globally young and comparatively thin ice shell of Europa may contain biosignatures that are readily accessible to a surface lander. Europa's icy shell also offers the opportunity to study tectonics and geologic cycles across a range of mechanisms and compositions. Here we detail the goals and mission architecture of the Europa Lander mission concept, as developed from 2015 through 2020. The science was developed by the 2016 Europa Lander Science Definition Team (SDT), and the mission architecture was developed by the preproject engineering team, in close collaboration with the SDT. In 2017 and 2018, the mission concept passed its mission concept review and delta-mission concept review, respectively. Since that time, the preproject has been advancing the technologies, and developing the hardware and software, needed to retire risks associated with technology, science, cost, and schedule.

Additional Information

© 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Received 2021 February 11; revised 2021 December 13; accepted 2021 December 16; published 2022 January 26. K.P.H., C.B.P., E.M., and all authors affiliated with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory carried out this research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (grant No. 80NM0018D0004). J.I.L. was the David Baltimore Distinguished Visiting Scientist during the preparation of the SDT report. JPL/Caltech2021. All rights reserved.

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