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Could there be life on Jupiter's volcanic moon?

2023-01-14 15:26:50Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

 

Could there be life on Jupiter's volcanic moon?
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NASA's Juno spacecraft, which has closely studied Jupiter and its large inner moons for more than six years, is currently the most distant planetary orbiter that humanity has yet produced.

The giant planet and its atmosphere were initially Juno's main focus, but in the current extended phase of the mission, close flybys of Jovian satellites have also entered the menu.

Whereas Europa and Ganymede (the Solar System's largest moon) have typically been of greater interest to astrobiologists because of their subsurface oceans. Another Jovian satellite, the volcanic moon Io has been seen as a place where life has little chance of thriving.

However, this may change. Juno recently flew by the moon Io at a distance of 80,000 km, and over the course of this coming year it will come much closer, within 1,500 km.

Could there be life on Jupiter's volcanic moon?

Most of what we know about Io dates from more than 20 years ago, when the Galileo spacecraft described the Jovian system. More specifically: Io is about the size of our Moon, but has an active lava lake (probably crusted) and a lava "curtain," along with active lava flows, calderas, mountains, plateaus, and plains.

The latest simulations show that the "tide" of heat in this body, which is the most active in terms of volcanic activity in the Solar System, is keeping the magma liquid under the surface. And, this has led scientists to think that this moon of Jupiter could harbor life.

Water and carbon (at least in the form of carbon dioxide) may still be abundant there, although the driving force for Io's volcanic vents seems more likely to be sulfur dioxide or other sulfur gases. In principle, geothermal activity and reduced sulfur compounds could provide microbial life with sufficient energy sources. Hydrogen sulfide in particular is probably common below the surface.

Could there be life on Jupiter's volcanic moon?

If we imagine the possibility of subsurface life on Io, its environment would have to be radically different from what we see on the surface. A suitable habitat should provide protection from radiation and temperatures should remain sufficiently warm and constant. The environment would have to capture the moisture in some way and provide nutrients such as sulfides and hydrogen sulfide that can be oxidized to sulfur dioxide or sulfates.

It will still take many years and advances in technology before people can have more information about what is happening in the underground world of Io.

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