Study Flags 20-Meter 'Fluffy' Ice Hazard for Europa and Enceladus Landers
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · May 15
Study Flags 20-Meter 'Fluffy' Ice Hazard for Europa and Enceladus Landers
1 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 15
Vacuum-chamber tests found cryovolcanic water can freeze into fragile, highly porous layers that could fail under a spacecraft, creating a new landing risk on ocean moons such as Europa and Enceladus.
49 kilograms of low-salinity water in a simulated low-pressure, low-gravity environment first boiled, then built crusty sheets as vapor lifted the layers, before freezing into a croissant-like cross section the team dubbed 'fluffy' ice.
On mock Europa, brittle sheets reached about 20 centimeters; on mock Enceladus, they grew to roughly 20 meters, depths the authors say could endanger a safe, stable touchdown.
NASA scientist Ingrid Daubar said such porous ice would force engineers to rethink landing mechanisms, a warning that matters as Europa Clipper heads for Jupiter by 2030 and ESA's JUICE is due in 2031.
Could treacherous 'fluffy ice' on Jupiter's moons make a future landing mission simply impossible?
Is the fragile ice that endangers landers also the perfect place to preserve signs of alien life?
Fragile "Fluffy" Ice Layers on Icy Ocean Moons: Risks, Detection, and Strategies for Safe Spacecraft Landings
Overview
Recent laboratory experiments have revealed that the surfaces of icy ocean moons like Europa and Enceladus may be covered by fragile, porous 'fluffy' ice layers. These layers form where cryovolcanoes erupt, spilling water from subsurface oceans onto the surface. In the moons' near-vacuum and cold conditions, water first boils and then freezes, creating stacked, brittle structures that resemble phyllo dough or a wasp nest. This discovery highlights a new hazard for spacecraft landings, as these fluffy ice layers could be thick and unstable, posing significant challenges for future exploration missions.