PIA24784: Final Stretch for Europa Clipper's Nadir Deck


Final Stretch for Europa Clipper’s Nadir Deck

Caption:

Seen here in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is the nadir deck for NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft. The deck stabilizes the spacecraft's sensors and helps the mission team ensure its instruments are oriented correctly.

With an internal global ocean under a thick layer of ice, Jupiter's moon Europa may have the potential to harbor existing life. Europa Clipper will swoop around Jupiter on an elliptical path, dipping close to the moon on each flyby. Understanding Europa's habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet. Europa Clipper is set to launch in 2024.

Background Info:

More information about Europa and Europa Clipper can be found here: europa.nasa.gov

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Europa Jupiter
System Jupiter
Target Type Satellite Planet
Mission Europa Clipper
Instrument Host Europa Clipper
Host Type Orbiter
Instrument
Detector
Extra Keywords Color
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2021-08-05
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24784
Identifier PIA24784