One of Jupiter's moons, Europa, produces enough oxygen per day for a million humans

Jupiter is the moon EuropeA celestial body that has intrigued the scientific community for hosting an underground ocean capable of supporting life is the focus of recent research that has revealed surprising data about its potential to form. Oxygen. According to a study published in the journal Natural Astronomyand use of data collected by the Mission Juno From NASA, it was determined that it produces approx A thousand tons Gas every 24 hours.

Size though Oxygen Not enough to sustain habitable environments similar to those on Earth, this revolutionizes expectations about the conditions for life outside our planet.

The New York Times The lead researchers noted Jamie Salehof Princeton UniversityThey discovered that the moon's icy surface records oxygen production at approx 13 to 40 kg per second, which is significantly lower than previous estimates 907 kilograms per second.

Although the results were “at the lower end of what we expected,” Szalay emphasized that it was not completely ruled out Europe A livable place.

CBS News He explained that the origin of this Oxygen This is due to the interaction between charged particles from space and the icy crust of this moon, a process that breaks up the frozen water into molecules. Hydrogen And Oxygen. “The ice is like the lungs of Europa,” Szale said, noting how the surface is Europe This protects the subsurface ocean from harmful radiation while allowing this chemical to “breathe.”

However, despite oxygen, Europe Due to the intense radiation on the surface of the moon, it presents conditions so hostile to humans that, according to estimates, “an astronaut in a space suit could not survive more than a day,” says Szaleh. The discovery highlights the complexity of human exploration in extraterrestrial environments.

The Juno mission, which launched in 2011 and has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, was instrumental in obtaining this revealing data. The space probe was able to directly measure the composition of charged particles from the atmosphere Europe On a fly in 2022.

“Juno has brought a new ability to directly measure the composition of charged particles emitted from Europa's atmosphere,” said Szale. The discovery opens up new questions about the dynamics between this moon's icy surface and its surface Subterranean seaPowerfully viable.

Although the scale can be estimated, the study group also stressed Oxygen Produced, how much of this oxygen actually penetrates the ice and reaches the ocean below remains to be determined, which is “an important puzzle in studying the Moon as a system,” says planetary scientist Carl Schmidt. Boston University. This puzzle is still ongoing and the need for future space missions especially aimed at detailed study of the celestial body.

In light of these findings, the Pot Planning to start work Europa Clipper In October 2024, conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of Europa to investigate whether the icy moon could support conditions suitable for life.

Meanwhile, scientists like Szalay look forward to uncovering more secrets Europe Based on the data collected by Juno“This is only the tip of the iceberg. Over the years, we will dig this overpass and find all the treasures.

(With information from CBS News and The New York Times)