Texas A&M Research Could Rewrite Understanding of Icy Moons
As NASA’s Europa Clipper mission embarks on its enterprising journey to Jupiter’s moon Europa, researchers at Texas A&M University are making groundbreaking discoveries that could reshape our understanding of icy ocean worlds throughout the solar system. A new study published in Nature Communications introduces a revolutionary thermodynamic concept,possibly unlocking the secrets to the habitability of these distant,frozen bodies.
The research, a collaboration between Dr. Matt Powell-Palm of Texas A&M’s J. Mike walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Dr. Baptiste Journaux of the University of Washington,defines a new thermodynamic concept called the “centotectic.” This concept determines the absolute lowest temperature at which a liquid can remain stable under varying pressures and concentrations – crucial facts for assessing the potential for life on icy moons like Europa.
Dr. Journaux explains the meaning: “With the launch of NASA Europa Clipper, the largest planetary exploration mission ever launched, we are entering a multi-decade era of exploration of cold and icy ocean worlds. Measurements from this and other missions will tell us how deep the ocean is and its composition. Laboratory measurements of liquid stability, and notably the lowest temperature possible (the newly-defined cenotectic), combined with mission results, will allow us to fully constrain how habitable the cold and deep oceans of our solar system are, and also what thier final fate will be when the moons or planets have cooled down entirely.”
powell-Palm’s expertise in cryobiology, initially focused on medical applications like organ preservation, combined with Journaux’s planetary science background, created a unique interdisciplinary approach to this challenge. The research, led by Texas A&M mechanical engineering graduate student Arian Zarriz, highlights the university’s growing leadership in space exploration.
“The study of icy worlds is a particular priority for both NASA and the European Space Agency, as evidenced by the flurry of recent and upcoming spacecraft launches,” said Powell-Palm.”We hope that Texas A&M will help to provide intellectual leadership in this space.”
This research represents a significant leap forward in our quest to understand the potential for life beyond Earth. As data from missions like the Europa Clipper floods in, scientists will be able to leverage this new framework to analyze the findings and potentially uncover evidence of life in these seemingly inhospitable environments. The implications extend far beyond Europa, offering a new lens through which to view the habitability of icy worlds across the cosmos.
