Europa drill on BBC website

For an update on one version of the plan to explore Europa, check out
the article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3548139.stm

Plan to melt through Europa's ice

By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff

Europa may hold a warm water ocean underneath its ice crust

Researchers are testing technology that could allow a lander to melt
through the ice crust of Jupiter's moon Europa to reach the water
ocean beneath. Space scientists want to send a craft to the Jovian
moon because its ocean might, in theory, harbour life.

Once through the 10-30km ice sheet, the probe could take a sample of
water, to analyse it for microbial life.

But significant engineering challenges remain before the German
Aerospace Centre lander could be sent to Europa.

"The idea is to land on Europa and somehow get through the ice," the
centre's Dr Stephan Ulamec told BBC News Online.

"One needs some kind of melting probe which can melt through the ice
and carry out investigation in the liquid ocean expected underneath."

The prototype being tested by Dr Ulamec is a 225cm-long hollow
aluminium cylinder with a copper melting head powered by an electrical
cable.

More details, and discussion of Lake Validivostok in the rest of the
article. Answers some of our recent questions.

/dps