5 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Europa](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1-pia26443-spacecraft-illustration.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nAn artist\u2019s concept of NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper shows the spacecraft in silhouette against Europa\u2019s surface, with the magnetometer boom fully deployed at top and the antennas for the radar instrument extending out from the solar arrays.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHeaded to Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa, the spacecraft is operating without a hitch and will reach Mars in just three months for a gravity assist.<\/em><\/p>\nNASA\u2019s Europa Clipper, which launched Oct. 14 on a journey to Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa, is already 13 million miles<\/a> (20 million kilometers) from Earth. Two science instruments have deployed hardware that will remain at attention, extending out from the spacecraft, for the next decade \u2014 through the cruise to Jupiter and the entire prime mission.<\/p>\nA SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched it away from Earth\u2019s gravity, and now the spacecraft is zooming along at 22 miles per second (35 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun.<\/p>\n
Europa Clipper<\/a> is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) to arrive at Jupiter in 2030 and in 2031 will begin a series of 49 flybys, using a suite of instruments<\/a> to gather data that will tell scientists if the icy moon and its internal ocean have the conditions needed to harbor life.<\/p>\nFor now, the information mission teams are receiving from the spacecraft is strictly engineering data (the science will come later), telling them how the hardware is operating. Things are looking good. The team has a checklist of actions the spacecraft needs to take as it travels deeper into space. Here\u2019s a peek:<\/p>\n
Boom Times<\/strong><\/h3>\nShortly after launch, the spacecraft deployed its massive solar arrays<\/a>, which extend the length of a basketball court. Next on the list was the magnetometer<\/a>\u2019s boom, which uncoiled from a canister mounted on the spacecraft body, extending a full 28 feet (8.5 meters).<\/p>\nTo confirm that all went well with the boom deployment, the team relied on data from the magnetometer\u2019s three sensors. Once the spacecraft is at Jupiter, these sensors will measure the magnetic field around Europa, both confirming the presence of the ocean thought to be under the moon\u2019s icy crust and telling scientists about its depth and salinity.<\/p>\n
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![\"Europa](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1-pia26443-spacecraft-illustration.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>Headed to Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa, the spacecraft is operating without a hitch and will reach Mars in just three months for a gravity assist.<\/em><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper, which launched Oct. 14 on a journey to Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa, is already 13 million miles<\/a> (20 million kilometers) from Earth. Two science instruments have deployed hardware that will remain at attention, extending out from the spacecraft, for the next decade \u2014 through the cruise to Jupiter and the entire prime mission.<\/p>\n A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched it away from Earth\u2019s gravity, and now the spacecraft is zooming along at 22 miles per second (35 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun.<\/p>\n Europa Clipper<\/a> is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) to arrive at Jupiter in 2030 and in 2031 will begin a series of 49 flybys, using a suite of instruments<\/a> to gather data that will tell scientists if the icy moon and its internal ocean have the conditions needed to harbor life.<\/p>\n For now, the information mission teams are receiving from the spacecraft is strictly engineering data (the science will come later), telling them how the hardware is operating. Things are looking good. The team has a checklist of actions the spacecraft needs to take as it travels deeper into space. Here\u2019s a peek:<\/p>\n Shortly after launch, the spacecraft deployed its massive solar arrays<\/a>, which extend the length of a basketball court. Next on the list was the magnetometer<\/a>\u2019s boom, which uncoiled from a canister mounted on the spacecraft body, extending a full 28 feet (8.5 meters).<\/p>\n To confirm that all went well with the boom deployment, the team relied on data from the magnetometer\u2019s three sensors. Once the spacecraft is at Jupiter, these sensors will measure the magnetic field around Europa, both confirming the presence of the ocean thought to be under the moon\u2019s icy crust and telling scientists about its depth and salinity.<\/p>\nBoom Times<\/strong><\/h3>\n