Chapter II.

Rationale / Literature Review

Astrobiology is a field involved in the study of life on Earth and all potential life on other

planets. The purpose of this literature review was to collect information and data about the moon

Europa, one of the many moons circling Jupiter, and the chances of life being found or made.

The majority of this research will involve the factors of origin for life to exist on the moon,

calculations, water, biogenic elements, possible sources of energy, and other factors. Some other

factors being mentioned will be radiation levels, sea levels, references to environments on Earth,

and more. Despite being an icy cold moon circling Jupiter, it is important to find out if life is

possible on this moon, making it one of many celestial objects in our solar system that has

materials for the building blocks of life.

In order to establish whether a planet is a “Goldilocks” planet, certain elements need to

be in place, such as the presence of heat being generated from the star the moon orbits or internal

heat - such as it may be the case with the moon Europa. “Energy for Microbial Life on Europa”

(Chyba 2000) by SETI Institute in California and the Department of Geological and

Environmental Sciences at Stanford University stated that the disequilibrium chemistry found in

the moon’s oceans, mostly due to charged particles accelerating due to Jupiter’s magnetosphere,

making enough oxidant and organic molecules. This was done with the qualitative research

method, and the article helps explain more of the mathematical side of all of the research done on

the planet for life. It involves examples like chemoautotrophic metabolism possibly occurring

but CO2 outbalancing it causing an issue for organisms to thrive. They calculate the lower limits

of biomass happening on the planet through terrestrial analogs, referring to the ice layer on the

planet, different types of radiations happening, charged-particle interactions within the water, the
planet’s crust, and explaining the microbes being dormant for years with all of these calculations.

With all of these calculations and explanations being made, he concluded that they indicate a

particular radiation-driven ecosystem on the planet happening, but more exploration made on the

planet will help reveal whether or not the planet will contain life in the future.

Despite not having much exploration on the planet to reveal the possibilities of life, there

are different sustainability needs for life on the planet. “Europa as an Abode of Life” was

published in the year 2001, talking about suitability for life on the planet through 3 requirements

and challenges. In other words, the purpose of the study is to examine the planet’s suitability for

life from; the perspective of liquid water, biogenic elements, and useful sources that come from

free energy, and to discuss early challenges that you can face searching for life on Europa

through a spacecraft lander. The article was published by Christopher F. Chyba and Cynthia B.

Philips, being done in the United States at the SETI Institute, at the Center for Study of Life in

the Universe, and Stanford University, in the Department of Geological and Environmental

Sciences. This research was done through the quantitative method, gathering information

through previous research and models to reach a conclusion. They talk about; the possible

evidence for water underneath an icy surface, comparing images to see how young the moon is

based on crater evidence, the magnetic field around the planet, possible detection of an ocean

underneath the thick icy surfaces, the presence of specific elements to create life of biogenic

compounds and smaller bacteria, and the chances of energy being on the planet with possibilities

of how they came to be. Along with all of this information they talk about the possibilities of

where to land a craft on the moon to collect samples of the planet for research, what they can do

with this information, and more. What they ended up finding out about is that there is a
possibility of life being sustained on the surface of the planet, the subsurface, which suggests that

the traditional viewing of planetary hability to also be broadened.

The traditional viewing of a planetary ability being broadened might help lead to more

being thought of and found out, but despite knowing some of these, we can still find more

limitations despite some already stated on a deeper and more detailed level. “The Search for Life

on Europa: Limiting Environmental Factors, Potential Habitats, and Earth Analogues” is an

article published in 2003 that goes deeper into the limiting factors of life on the planet. The

article was published by Giles M. Marion, Christian H. Fristsen, Hajo Eicken, and Meredith C.

Payne, who conducted the study in the United States at the Desert Research Institute, University

of Alaska-Fairbanks, and Arizona State University. The purpose of this study was to examine the

limitations through temperature, salinity, desiccation, radiation, pressure, and time, possibilities

for life on Europa, and Earth analogs being related to the limitations found on Europa. All of this

was done through mixed research methods, using graphs to demonstrate the surface of Europa,

stability fields, tables, and more throughout the article. Limitations found on the planet can be

found through: temperature being compared to 3 environments on Earth around the temperatures

of 100°C to 121°C with microbes being isolated tolerating specific temperatures for growth;

Salinity levels affecting microbial activity due to energy levels needed to continue in the

environment; Acidity for hydrogen ion activity due to heavy metals being in the environment;

Desiccationing the power in the atmosphere through relative humidity; Radiation to see which

ones can limit life; Pressures being taken into account and time being thought of till we finally

see life develop on the planet and how dormant it can remain. The potential of life is investigated

through the consideration of the ice layer, a brine ocean, the possible seafloor environment, and

more stated in some of the limitations. Earth analogs for Europa considering previous studies
that might not be fully reliable, considering that Earth is different, Europa contains an ice layer, a

brine ocean, and a seafloor environment. What they found as a result at the end of this is that

there is enough energy and nutrients to have a potential for limiting factors for life on Europa.

Still, there is a chance for small biomass to happen on the planet due to lethal radiation and cold

temperatures not near the surface, but centimeters under the surface.

Chances of a small biomass happening on the planet close to the surface might be one

way of finding things out, but another is to also focus on some more factors of astrobiology and

geological standpoint. “Is There Life on Europa” was written by Richard Greenberg and Kevin P

Hand in 2009, during this article, they made an effort to understand the ability of the planets in

the solar system, and by doing so, attempted to look at Europa and the other moons around

Jupiter, through a geological standpoint of things. This was done at the SETI Institute in

California and the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University

through the qualitative research method. During the reading, they focus on the astrological and

geological standpoint of things, and references to “Unmasking Europa”, a book written by

Richard Greenberg, to provide details in the geological understanding of the icy planet and the

scientific debate that has led to this planet. The astrobiology of this article helps to discuss the

possibilities of a thick and thin outer shell on the planet and some effects. Another reference the

article makes is one of his older works called “Europa the Ocean Moon”, staying around the

same areas as his other works but at a more biased level amongst being targeted to a research

standpoint. What ends up being found is that a mix of an irradiated, oxidant-rich surface on the

planet’s oceans can maintain a chemically rich environment for life to happen, but without any

geology movement happening on the planet, the future seems unsure.

 Even with a lack of geological movement happening on the planet, we cannot eliminate it

from the different possibilities made with chemicals, energy, and more, what the crust could do,

is cycle. “Astrobiology and the Potential for Life on Europa” was published in the year 2009

with multiple purposes and points made across the article, written by Kevin P Hand, Christopher

F. Chyba, John C. Priscu, Robert W. Carlson, and Kenneth H. Nealson. This study was done in

the United States at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology,

Princeton University, Montana State University, and the University of Southern California, and

was conducted through the mixed research method. The purpose of the study was to make a

review of the cycling and availability of biologically needed elements, conditions needed to

create the origin of life, the availability of energy on the planet to power life, and the detection

and survival of biosignatures on the surface. It is also to help with possible research and search

strategies for future orbiting and landing missions on the planet. The article goes in-depth about

the chemical perspective of the planet, along with the possibilities of the crust and ocean water

cycling, the possibilities of the highest locations on the planet for micro-organisms and bacteria

to form, calculations, examples, and the protection of the planet. What has been concluded with

all of this research is that Europa itself remains a huge target for astrobiology, soon to be

habitable and if not habitable now and in the past, with the only critical limiting factor being

energy for life to be the second, unique origin of life in the solar system.

Throughout this whole study, multiple important points have been made and mentioned.

The most important ones include the search for energy for organisms, chemical possibilities,

radiation on the planet, the icy outer crust, the salty water found underneath, the survivability of

things, the origin of life, and limitations on the planet. Everything stated here has a connection to

the study being made, revealing and learning background information about the planet, different
possibilities for models to be made, and taking into account the different outcomes and

components needed for the model’s environment to be made. The only gap being made is, that

there is little to no new information being made, and if there is any being made, then it is not

expanded enough to provide more possibilities, more outcomes, and more chances to image and

figure out how Europa will end up being like. Filling in this gap will help minds expand on the

other possibilities and chances for this planet to grow and evolve, and to also demonstrate what

these made possibilities will show.