During its flyby of Earth on 20 August, ESA’s Juice probe found the ingredients for life in Earth’s atmosphere.
The Juice probe flew over Earth on August 20th to perform a maneuver towards the Jupiter system. The engineers therefore seized the opportunity to test and calibrate the scientific instruments of Juice into space, ensuring they are ready for arrival at Jupiter. Two of Juice’s instruments, the Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS) and the Submillimeter Wave Instrument (SWI), collected data that he confirmsno that the Earth is habitable. In this context, “habitability” is defined as the presence of the conditions necessary for life to develop and survive. Jupiter’s icy moons are particularly exciting prospects for life, considering the oceans that lurk beneath their surfaces.
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A detailed analysis of the atmosphere
During , SWI “listened” to signals from hundreds of molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, including water and the so-called “CHNOPS” elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur). CHNOPS elements are the most common ingredients of living organisms.
MAJIS also measured the , detecting important molecules such as oxygen, ozone, carbon dioxide and water. Additionally, the instrument imaged the Earth’s surface in infrared light, resulting in information-rich temperature maps. The MAJIS team is preparing to delve deeper into the data collected during the Earth flyby, particularly on the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere. Their findings will help them understand whether current levels are capable of supporting current biological activity on Earth.
Olivier Witasse, ESA Juice project scientist said that “we are obviously not surprised by these results, it would have been extremely worrying to discover that the Earth was not habitable! But they indicate to us that MAJIS and SWI will work very successfully on Jupiter, where they will help us investigate whether past or even present.”
Once on Jupiter, SWI will study the composition of the planet and its icy moons, telling us more about their current climates, origins and history. The information that the instrument will collect will reveal not only their , but also capture signals of their current biological activities. Meanwhile, MAJIS will observe Jupiter’s clouds and the ingredients of its atmosphere, and study the thin atmospheres, ices and minerals on the surfaces of the icy moons.
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