There are 4 MAJOR MOONS of Jupiter; all more MASSIVE than Earth’s moon, Luna. Europa is not as large as Luna. But orbiters are making the case that Europa not only has MORE WATER than Earth, but it may have lots of HOT WATER! This diagram, a mix of photos and art, shows Jupiter and Io, Jupiter’s large volcanic moon. Io, slightly larger than Luna, orbits at approx the distance of Earth/Luna. The problem is that 318 times the mass of Earth, Jupiter’s tidal forces churn Io inside-out; spewing enough volcanic gas to make a gas donut ring in Io’s orbit. A little smaller but MUCH FARTHER, these forces appear more benign for Europa. The smart money at NASA is pulling for colonization of Europa. There are water geysers welling from a gentler internal tidal tug from Jupiter. There is a hard ice cap possibly sprinkled with a light coat of tholins, the space fuel free for the taking further out in the solar system. The downside? It is possible that simple life forms that MAY live on Europa might die off on contact with Earth’s ferocious microbes. But the main question is: if there is a vast, hidden ocean just past Mars; shielded from the radiation that menaces the Mars mission, WHY NOT GO THERE INSTEAD? #CosmicScale #NVBorneo #europa #jupiter #mars #nasa #io #space #spacetravel by nvborneo