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NASA robot diver is planning a trip: to Wisconsin, Antarctica and then Jupiter
When NASA isn't sending shuttles into space, the group apparently loves dunking robots into water. Its Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer, otherwise called ENDURANCE, is currently running a through a prep course of sorts to get ready for its final destination: the waters of Europa, Jupiter's sixth and closest moon.
On the 12th of this month, ENDURANCE made for the University of Wisconsin for a few underwater tests before its journey to the icy West Lake Bonney in Antarctica, where it will ply its specialty: creating detailed 3D maps and providing visual reconnaissance. If all goes well, NASA plans to break the ice on Europa and have the autonomous 'bot map the terrain throughout the moon's waters.
Start placing your bets now! What are we going to see? Giant space tuna? A race of malevolent, water-breathing aliens? A whole lot of boring water?
Wired, via Gizmowatch
By Jijinka at 5:46 AM ON 02/16/08
there will be two interconnected ecosystems
the first creatures ENDURANCE will encounter will be buoyant creatures witch will inhabit the underside of the ice sheets. nurishment will float up from the inner depts of the moon. and there'll be bacteria thriving on it. plant like animals growing downward will feed on this bacteria and feeding on the bacteria will be crustaceans and mollusks like creatures witch will most likely float crawling along the underside of the ice sheet and fish and aquatic mammal like creatures will feed on them. their waste will sink down into the depths of the moon
that waste, falling like rain, will then provide the nourishment to the lowest of the food chain of the creatures toward the inner of the moon. in this inner ecosystem there will be plant or coral like animals feeding off the bacteria in the sunken waste and crustaceans, gastropods and other mollusks will feed off those and fish like animals and larger fish like crustaceans and mollusks will feed off those
and the waste from the inter moon creatures will in turn float up to to the underside of the ice sheet completing the circle
if there are sapient creastures in eather of the two ecosystems they will likely have no knowledge of the other ecosystem it's dependent on
and there's also the possibility there'll be an organism that roams the between the two worlds. consuming both the rising and sinking waste keeping an average neutral buoyancy
omg, what am i talking about, this is exactly why they should put alcohol in energy drinks.... still, i'll put ten bucks on this theory
By Larry Hupp at 2:47 PM ON 02/18/08
I think the robot will find some microscopic forms of life, that lives in the waters on Euproa. if we don't bring it with us when we send the robot to Euproa.
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Larry Hupp:
I think the robot will find some microscopic forms of life, that lives in the waters on Euproa. if we don't bring i...More »