JPL Scientists Will Dive Deep into Ocean Worlds Beyond Earth

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena will host a live talk on Thursday, Sept. 19, exploring the potential for life in ocean worlds beyond Earth. 

The event, titled “Europa and Beyond: A Deep Dive into Ocean Worlds in Our Solar System,” will focus on celestial bodies with liquid water oceans.

The talk will feature Dr. Cynthia Phillips, a planetary geologist and Europa Clipper project staff scientist, and Dr. Benjamin Hockman, a robotics technologist. Both scientists are from JPL.

Speakers will discuss the scientific importance of ocean worlds and potential methods for investigating their surfaces. The talk will also cover robotic technologies being developed at JPL that could explore oceans beneath icy shells.

The event aligns with the longstanding astrobiological principle of “follow the water” in the search for extraterrestrial life. Liquid water is considered essential for life on Earth.

NASA missions have discovered liquid water within several moons and planets in the solar system. Examples include Jupiter’s moons Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede, as well as Saturn’s moon Enceladus, among potentially others. These watery worlds have become targets of interest for future exploration missions.

To truly understand possible ecosystems outside Earth, scientists aim to directly investigate this liquid water. The talk will explore how future missions might achieve this goal.

The live talk will be hosted by Gregory Smith from JPL’s communications and education directorate, with Laurance Fauconnet, solar system public engagement lead, as co-host. It will begin at 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT) on Thursday.

To watch the event live on YouTube, visit https://www.youtube.com/live/dGJc6wiiHyE on the day of the event. 

For more information, visit https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jpl-and-the-community/lecture-series.