Europa


Europa

Europa appears calm and tranquil, in a sharp contrast to the rough, cratered surfaces spread throughout the rest of the solar system. This is because Europa consists almost entirely of water ice, making it an ideal destination. The ice would provide boundless resources as well as a clear canvas for locating bio-metal.


Even more exciting, Europa did at one time and may still have active volcanos that shoot warmer ice flows [spotted two weeks ago by the Galileo satellite] from beneath the surface. Evidence of a heated center naturally suggests that the ice may melt at some depth, flowing freely within the moons interior. This would make Europa the only other celestrial body in our solar system with liquid water, and a leading contender for bearing life, albeit far from our view.

Though lacking the destinct advantages and engineering opportunities held by Luna, mars, and Titan, Europa is a relatively safe gamble for finding and acquiring bio-metal with little environmental hazard.


Position: Satellite of Jupiter

Distance from Sun: 5.2 Astronomical Units

Distance from Earth: 630 Million Kilometers

Surface Gravity: 0.135

Surface Composition: Water Ice

Atmospheric Pressure: 0 Bar

Surface Temperature: -152 Celsius

Axis Rotation: Static

Sun Orbit Period: 4332.71 Days

Diameter: 3138 Kilometers