1 00:00:05,510 --> 00:00:03,990 nasa's jet propulsion laboratory 2 00:00:08,310 --> 00:00:05,520 presents 3 00:00:10,310 --> 00:00:08,320 the von carmen lecture a series of talks 4 00:00:13,669 --> 00:00:10,320 by scientists and engineers who are 5 00:00:27,990 --> 00:00:13,679 exploring our planet our solar system 6 00:00:31,509 --> 00:00:29,750 good evening ladies and gentlemen how's 7 00:00:33,030 --> 00:00:31,519 everyone tonight 8 00:00:34,549 --> 00:00:33,040 good well thanks again for coming out to 9 00:00:36,630 --> 00:00:34,559 join us this evening 10 00:00:38,869 --> 00:00:36,640 where is the best place to find living 11 00:00:41,110 --> 00:00:38,879 life beyond earth it may be that the 12 00:00:43,270 --> 00:00:41,120 small ice covered moons of jupiter and 13 00:00:45,430 --> 00:00:43,280 saturn harbor some of the most habitable 14 00:00:47,430 --> 00:00:45,440 real estate in our solar system 15 00:00:48,950 --> 00:00:47,440 life loves liquid water and these moons 16 00:00:50,229 --> 00:00:48,960 have lots of it 17 00:00:52,069 --> 00:00:50,239 tonight's lecture will explain the 18 00:00:53,990 --> 00:00:52,079 science behind why we think we know 19 00:00:55,830 --> 00:00:54,000 these oceans exist and what we know 20 00:00:57,990 --> 00:00:55,840 about the conditions on these worlds 21 00:01:00,150 --> 00:00:58,000 while focusing on jupiter's moon europa 22 00:01:01,189 --> 00:01:00,160 which is a top priority for future nasa 23 00:01:02,869 --> 00:01:01,199 missions 24 00:01:04,469 --> 00:01:02,879 and we'll also show how the exploration 25 00:01:07,270 --> 00:01:04,479 of earth's ocean is helping to inform 26 00:01:09,030 --> 00:01:07,280 our understanding of worlds like europa 27 00:01:11,109 --> 00:01:09,040 born and raised in manchester vermont 28 00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:11,119 tonight's guest earned two bachelor's 29 00:01:14,950 --> 00:01:13,040 degrees from dartmouth college and his 30 00:01:16,070 --> 00:01:14,960 master's and phd from stanford 31 00:01:17,910 --> 00:01:16,080 university 32 00:01:19,670 --> 00:01:17,920 he is now the deputy chief scientist for 33 00:01:21,830 --> 00:01:19,680 solar system exploration right here at 34 00:01:23,910 --> 00:01:21,840 nasa's jet propulsion laboratory 35 00:01:25,990 --> 00:01:23,920 his research his research focuses on the 36 00:01:28,070 --> 00:01:26,000 origin evolution and distribution of 37 00:01:30,230 --> 00:01:28,080 life in the solar system with an 38 00:01:31,910 --> 00:01:30,240 emphasis on moons of the outer solar 39 00:01:33,030 --> 00:01:31,920 system that likely have liquid water 40 00:01:35,109 --> 00:01:33,040 oceans 41 00:01:36,789 --> 00:01:35,119 his work involves numerical modeling 42 00:01:38,710 --> 00:01:36,799 laboratory experiments and field 43 00:01:40,469 --> 00:01:38,720 campaigns exploring some of earth's most 44 00:01:41,830 --> 00:01:40,479 extreme environments 45 00:01:44,069 --> 00:01:41,840 his field work has brought him to the 46 00:01:46,550 --> 00:01:44,079 dry valleys of antarctica the depths of 47 00:01:48,149 --> 00:01:46,560 the earth's oceans the icy permafrost of 48 00:01:51,350 --> 00:01:48,159 alaska and to the glaciers of 49 00:01:53,749 --> 00:01:51,360 kilimanjaro in 2011 he was selected as a 50 00:01:55,109 --> 00:01:53,759 national geographic emerging explorer 51 00:01:56,630 --> 00:01:55,119 and has been featured in several 52 00:01:59,670 --> 00:01:56,640 television documentaries for national 53 00:02:02,069 --> 00:01:59,680 geographic discovery and pbs and was 54 00:02:04,389 --> 00:02:02,079 featured in the imax film aliens of the 55 00:02:06,230 --> 00:02:04,399 deep he has made nine dives to the 56 00:02:08,710 --> 00:02:06,240 bottom of the ocean and was also a 57 00:02:11,430 --> 00:02:08,720 scientist on board james cameron's 2012 58 00:02:12,790 --> 00:02:11,440 dive to the bottom of the mariana trench 59 00:02:19,510 --> 00:02:12,800 ladies and gentlemen please help me 60 00:02:25,750 --> 00:02:22,790 thank you mark 61 00:02:32,309 --> 00:02:28,390 thank you very much 62 00:02:33,670 --> 00:02:32,319 the the question of whether or not life 63 00:02:36,550 --> 00:02:33,680 exists 64 00:02:40,070 --> 00:02:36,560 beyond earth is one of the oldest 65 00:02:42,949 --> 00:02:40,080 most primordial unanswered questions 66 00:02:45,670 --> 00:02:42,959 that humanity still has and that's 67 00:02:47,430 --> 00:02:45,680 much of what motivates my interest in 68 00:02:49,110 --> 00:02:47,440 these ocean worlds of the outer solar 69 00:02:52,309 --> 00:02:49,120 system 70 00:02:54,790 --> 00:02:52,319 but uh just to be clear tonight i will 71 00:02:56,309 --> 00:02:54,800 not be covering 72 00:02:58,149 --> 00:02:56,319 ufos 73 00:02:59,670 --> 00:02:58,159 alien abductions 74 00:03:02,630 --> 00:02:59,680 furry little creatures from other 75 00:03:04,790 --> 00:03:02,640 planets with three eyes 76 00:03:06,390 --> 00:03:04,800 when i talk about the search for life 77 00:03:09,430 --> 00:03:06,400 elsewhere 78 00:03:11,270 --> 00:03:09,440 i'm focused on even the tiniest of 79 00:03:14,229 --> 00:03:11,280 little microbes 80 00:03:17,030 --> 00:03:14,239 uh even that discovery 81 00:03:19,030 --> 00:03:17,040 uh the tiniest speck on some distant 82 00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:19,040 world would revolutionize our 83 00:03:24,470 --> 00:03:21,360 understanding of the science of biology 84 00:03:26,710 --> 00:03:24,480 and how our universe works 85 00:03:29,110 --> 00:03:26,720 now this is a question that has 86 00:03:30,710 --> 00:03:29,120 fascinated me since i was a young boy 87 00:03:32,789 --> 00:03:30,720 as mark mentioned 88 00:03:34,949 --> 00:03:32,799 i grew up in a small town in vermont and 89 00:03:36,869 --> 00:03:34,959 and looking at this picture 90 00:03:41,270 --> 00:03:36,879 i guess it's it's no surprise that i 91 00:03:45,910 --> 00:03:43,190 and i attribute i attribute my 92 00:03:48,229 --> 00:03:45,920 fascination with the stars largely to 93 00:03:49,350 --> 00:03:48,239 the clear night skies that vermont 94 00:03:51,509 --> 00:03:49,360 provided 95 00:03:54,149 --> 00:03:51,519 but books like this 96 00:03:55,830 --> 00:03:54,159 also helped to captivate 97 00:03:59,030 --> 00:03:55,840 my imagination 98 00:04:00,630 --> 00:03:59,040 showing a rather optimistic 99 00:04:03,910 --> 00:04:00,640 vision for 100 00:04:05,990 --> 00:04:03,920 aliens in jupiter's atmosphere 101 00:04:07,750 --> 00:04:06,000 some sort of martian creature with 102 00:04:10,630 --> 00:04:07,760 massive ears 103 00:04:12,550 --> 00:04:10,640 and even some sort of dinosaur surviving 104 00:04:14,949 --> 00:04:12,560 somehow on the surface of a world like 105 00:04:17,349 --> 00:04:14,959 europa 106 00:04:19,349 --> 00:04:17,359 but i'd like to show this image for 107 00:04:21,749 --> 00:04:19,359 another reason and that is that 108 00:04:24,230 --> 00:04:21,759 in that background you can see that 109 00:04:26,469 --> 00:04:24,240 these mountains of vermont 110 00:04:28,950 --> 00:04:26,479 our entire planet 111 00:04:31,110 --> 00:04:28,960 is covered with life 112 00:04:32,310 --> 00:04:31,120 and one one of the the beautiful 113 00:04:34,150 --> 00:04:32,320 challenges 114 00:04:35,270 --> 00:04:34,160 that we face in our search for life 115 00:04:38,230 --> 00:04:35,280 elsewhere 116 00:04:41,830 --> 00:04:38,240 is that our home planet 117 00:04:42,950 --> 00:04:41,840 from north south east west high low hot 118 00:04:46,629 --> 00:04:42,960 cold 119 00:04:49,590 --> 00:04:46,639 our planet is teeming with life 120 00:04:52,230 --> 00:04:49,600 and in fact it's hard to find 121 00:04:54,830 --> 00:04:52,240 a spot on our home planet 122 00:04:58,070 --> 00:04:54,840 that does not harbor 123 00:04:59,990 --> 00:04:58,080 life and the story of our search for 124 00:05:02,469 --> 00:05:00,000 life elsewhere 125 00:05:03,670 --> 00:05:02,479 is in part the story 126 00:05:06,390 --> 00:05:03,680 of 127 00:05:07,990 --> 00:05:06,400 this beautiful little planet 128 00:05:09,749 --> 00:05:08,000 reaching out 129 00:05:12,870 --> 00:05:09,759 into the solar system 130 00:05:15,590 --> 00:05:12,880 through our robotic spacecraft each of 131 00:05:17,670 --> 00:05:15,600 these lines here denotes a mission that 132 00:05:20,150 --> 00:05:17,680 has gone out to one of the 133 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:20,160 worlds in our solar system 134 00:05:26,790 --> 00:05:24,960 as we know here we're just over 50 years 135 00:05:29,590 --> 00:05:26,800 into this endeavor of 136 00:05:31,029 --> 00:05:29,600 searching uh for life beyond 137 00:05:33,189 --> 00:05:31,039 beyond earth 138 00:05:35,270 --> 00:05:33,199 searching for understanding the origins 139 00:05:40,790 --> 00:05:35,280 of our solar system and someday 140 00:05:47,590 --> 00:05:44,870 but our effort to find life elsewhere 141 00:05:48,469 --> 00:05:47,600 begins with understanding life on earth 142 00:05:50,150 --> 00:05:48,479 which 143 00:05:51,590 --> 00:05:50,160 brings us back to this tiny little 144 00:05:53,670 --> 00:05:51,600 valley nestled in the green mountains of 145 00:05:56,710 --> 00:05:53,680 vermont 146 00:05:59,110 --> 00:05:56,720 finding signs of life on a distant world 147 00:06:01,749 --> 00:05:59,120 is complicated by the fact that life 148 00:06:04,230 --> 00:06:01,759 and biological processes have played 149 00:06:05,110 --> 00:06:04,240 such varied and significant roles on 150 00:06:08,950 --> 00:06:05,120 earth 151 00:06:11,510 --> 00:06:08,960 both in the past and in the present 152 00:06:13,029 --> 00:06:11,520 how will we know if we found life on a 153 00:06:15,990 --> 00:06:13,039 distant world 154 00:06:19,110 --> 00:06:16,000 what guidance can life on earth provide 155 00:06:21,990 --> 00:06:19,120 for us in this search 156 00:06:23,670 --> 00:06:22,000 well it would be easy enough if we if we 157 00:06:26,870 --> 00:06:23,680 landed on a planet 158 00:06:28,150 --> 00:06:26,880 and saw trees and 159 00:06:31,270 --> 00:06:28,160 grass 160 00:06:33,510 --> 00:06:31,280 and a tennis court 161 00:06:35,189 --> 00:06:33,520 but so far that hasn't happened and the 162 00:06:37,670 --> 00:06:35,199 situation quickly gets a lot more 163 00:06:40,550 --> 00:06:37,680 complicated when you consider 164 00:06:42,950 --> 00:06:40,560 simple forms and the signs that they 165 00:06:44,309 --> 00:06:42,960 leave on a planet 166 00:06:46,469 --> 00:06:44,319 these mountains serve as a useful 167 00:06:48,710 --> 00:06:46,479 example if you peel away 168 00:06:50,550 --> 00:06:48,720 all these trees and the grass and even 169 00:06:52,469 --> 00:06:50,560 the tennis court you find 170 00:06:55,990 --> 00:06:52,479 these rocks 171 00:06:57,270 --> 00:06:56,000 these are blocks of marble 172 00:06:59,990 --> 00:06:57,280 mined 173 00:07:01,749 --> 00:07:00,000 from this old marble quarry 174 00:07:03,189 --> 00:07:01,759 some of this marble went on to be used 175 00:07:05,749 --> 00:07:03,199 in various monuments and buildings 176 00:07:06,870 --> 00:07:05,759 around the country and around the globe 177 00:07:08,950 --> 00:07:06,880 and 178 00:07:12,070 --> 00:07:08,960 it has its 179 00:07:15,270 --> 00:07:12,080 roots in a story that began 180 00:07:18,230 --> 00:07:15,280 some 350 million years ago 181 00:07:22,550 --> 00:07:18,240 if you rewind the clock of time 182 00:07:26,309 --> 00:07:22,560 in this old mountain we've got layers 183 00:07:28,870 --> 00:07:26,319 layers that represent an ancient seabed 184 00:07:30,390 --> 00:07:28,880 layers in an ancient ocean that existed 185 00:07:34,230 --> 00:07:30,400 in the appalachian region 186 00:07:35,510 --> 00:07:34,240 some 350 million years ago 187 00:07:37,350 --> 00:07:35,520 gradually 188 00:07:39,589 --> 00:07:37,360 sand and sediments 189 00:07:41,510 --> 00:07:39,599 fell out of that ocean and formed the 190 00:07:43,670 --> 00:07:41,520 seabed 191 00:07:44,390 --> 00:07:43,680 some of the sediments 192 00:07:45,830 --> 00:07:44,400 were 193 00:07:52,550 --> 00:07:45,840 the 194 00:07:54,950 --> 00:07:52,560 creatures called foraminifera 195 00:07:57,990 --> 00:07:54,960 the the tests of foraminifera are 196 00:07:59,350 --> 00:07:58,000 calcite calcium carbonate and in this 197 00:08:01,589 --> 00:07:59,360 ancient ocean 198 00:08:03,589 --> 00:08:01,599 these organisms lived and died and their 199 00:08:05,510 --> 00:08:03,599 their tests gradually sedimented onto 200 00:08:07,589 --> 00:08:05,520 the seafloor 201 00:08:10,390 --> 00:08:07,599 and with time 202 00:08:13,350 --> 00:08:10,400 that sea floor underwent changes in 203 00:08:16,150 --> 00:08:13,360 temperature and pressure gradually 204 00:08:19,670 --> 00:08:16,160 transforming that 205 00:08:22,869 --> 00:08:19,680 that evidence of life in the past 206 00:08:24,869 --> 00:08:22,879 into limestone and eventually into this 207 00:08:26,469 --> 00:08:24,879 rock that we know and love and call 208 00:08:30,390 --> 00:08:26,479 marble 209 00:08:32,389 --> 00:08:30,400 that just looking at it 210 00:08:34,550 --> 00:08:32,399 you don't see any 211 00:08:36,630 --> 00:08:34,560 any sign of 212 00:08:39,269 --> 00:08:36,640 those complex organisms the complex 213 00:08:41,990 --> 00:08:39,279 tests of the four amino 214 00:08:44,470 --> 00:08:42,000 you have no direct evidence 215 00:08:47,430 --> 00:08:44,480 just by examining it that that this 216 00:08:49,350 --> 00:08:47,440 tells a story of life in an ancient 217 00:08:51,670 --> 00:08:49,360 ocean 218 00:08:53,910 --> 00:08:51,680 and yet to the trained eye 219 00:08:56,310 --> 00:08:53,920 through our study of life on earth 220 00:08:58,630 --> 00:08:56,320 through our understanding of 221 00:09:00,790 --> 00:08:58,640 biology and biological processes on our 222 00:09:01,590 --> 00:09:00,800 home planet we've come to appreciate 223 00:09:03,110 --> 00:09:01,600 that 224 00:09:05,910 --> 00:09:03,120 for the most part 225 00:09:07,670 --> 00:09:05,920 when we find this stone called marble on 226 00:09:10,550 --> 00:09:07,680 earth 227 00:09:13,350 --> 00:09:10,560 it tells a story of past life on our 228 00:09:16,550 --> 00:09:15,190 so what if we were to go to a planet 229 00:09:21,030 --> 00:09:16,560 like this 230 00:09:22,870 --> 00:09:21,040 and examine rocks 231 00:09:24,630 --> 00:09:22,880 like these 232 00:09:25,910 --> 00:09:24,640 a landscape 233 00:09:28,949 --> 00:09:25,920 showing 234 00:09:31,509 --> 00:09:28,959 dotted with ancient stream beds 235 00:09:34,949 --> 00:09:31,519 what if our curiosity rover 236 00:09:37,670 --> 00:09:34,959 were to rove up and nestle up against 237 00:09:39,670 --> 00:09:37,680 a nice big block of marble 238 00:09:42,949 --> 00:09:39,680 what would we conclude 239 00:09:44,470 --> 00:09:42,959 about that as a sign of past life on 240 00:09:46,630 --> 00:09:44,480 mars 241 00:09:48,389 --> 00:09:46,640 the answer is frankly we don't know 242 00:09:49,910 --> 00:09:48,399 that's part of the challenge 243 00:09:52,310 --> 00:09:49,920 trying to figure out both the the 244 00:09:53,509 --> 00:09:52,320 context and the formation and the 245 00:09:56,070 --> 00:09:53,519 history 246 00:09:58,310 --> 00:09:56,080 of a geological region on a world like 247 00:10:01,990 --> 00:09:58,320 mars and the adventure is just beginning 248 00:10:04,870 --> 00:10:02,000 who knows we may someday find 249 00:10:09,030 --> 00:10:04,880 rocks like marble or perhaps even more 250 00:10:12,949 --> 00:10:10,949 but as much as i love the planet mars 251 00:10:15,590 --> 00:10:12,959 and our search for life on mars for the 252 00:10:17,350 --> 00:10:15,600 most part we are looking for 253 00:10:19,990 --> 00:10:17,360 life in the past we are looking for 254 00:10:22,069 --> 00:10:20,000 evidence of life in the rock record on 255 00:10:24,230 --> 00:10:22,079 mars 256 00:10:26,949 --> 00:10:24,240 i want to find living life life that is 257 00:10:30,310 --> 00:10:26,959 alive today life that is living in an 258 00:10:32,710 --> 00:10:30,320 environment that is habitable today 259 00:10:35,269 --> 00:10:32,720 coupled with that 260 00:10:36,790 --> 00:10:35,279 i want to explore worlds 261 00:10:38,470 --> 00:10:36,800 where we think 262 00:10:42,550 --> 00:10:38,480 life may have gone 263 00:10:45,030 --> 00:10:42,560 undergone a second independent origin 264 00:10:47,509 --> 00:10:45,040 from life on earth 265 00:10:50,550 --> 00:10:47,519 probing this question of is the origin 266 00:10:52,550 --> 00:10:50,560 of life easy or is it hard 267 00:10:54,470 --> 00:10:52,560 and on mars there are some confusing 268 00:10:55,829 --> 00:10:54,480 components there you see 269 00:10:58,230 --> 00:10:55,839 early on in the history of the solar 270 00:11:00,630 --> 00:10:58,240 system mars and the earth traded 271 00:11:02,870 --> 00:11:00,640 material back and forth and in fact it's 272 00:11:05,670 --> 00:11:02,880 it continues into the modern day 273 00:11:07,430 --> 00:11:05,680 and so if we were to go to mars 274 00:11:09,430 --> 00:11:07,440 and find 275 00:11:12,069 --> 00:11:09,440 a fossil well first of all we would have 276 00:11:15,269 --> 00:11:12,079 a a hard time 277 00:11:17,030 --> 00:11:15,279 discerning the biochemistry of a fossil 278 00:11:19,670 --> 00:11:17,040 but even if we were to go to mars and 279 00:11:22,790 --> 00:11:19,680 find living life and discover that it 280 00:11:25,110 --> 00:11:22,800 was based on dna and rna and proteins 281 00:11:26,790 --> 00:11:25,120 we would then have a challenge of 282 00:11:29,430 --> 00:11:26,800 figuring out whether or not 283 00:11:30,949 --> 00:11:29,440 that life was related to the tree of 284 00:11:32,710 --> 00:11:30,959 life here on earth 285 00:11:34,310 --> 00:11:32,720 or whether or not it represented a 286 00:11:36,389 --> 00:11:34,320 second origin 287 00:11:39,030 --> 00:11:36,399 because of this this transfer of 288 00:11:40,790 --> 00:11:39,040 material back and forth 289 00:11:42,949 --> 00:11:40,800 this comes to that issue of 290 00:11:44,550 --> 00:11:42,959 of the tree of life here on earth 291 00:11:46,790 --> 00:11:44,560 our tree of life has changed 292 00:11:48,310 --> 00:11:46,800 dramatically over the time period in 293 00:11:49,190 --> 00:11:48,320 which we've been exploring the solar 294 00:11:51,030 --> 00:11:49,200 system 295 00:11:53,269 --> 00:11:51,040 just some 50 to 60 years ago if you 296 00:11:55,750 --> 00:11:53,279 mentioned the tree of life this is the 297 00:11:56,790 --> 00:11:55,760 image that would come to mind an image 298 00:12:00,470 --> 00:11:56,800 of 299 00:12:03,430 --> 00:12:00,480 neanderthals not too far away 300 00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:03,440 in evolutionary timeline from dinosaurs 301 00:12:08,310 --> 00:12:05,360 and other large creatures 302 00:12:10,790 --> 00:12:08,320 but we now know that the tree of life 303 00:12:13,590 --> 00:12:10,800 that we once conceived of is just 304 00:12:16,949 --> 00:12:13,600 the tiniest of branches 305 00:12:19,590 --> 00:12:16,959 on a tree of life that is dominated 306 00:12:22,790 --> 00:12:19,600 by microbial life forms 307 00:12:25,750 --> 00:12:22,800 we are just that tiniest little twig 308 00:12:29,509 --> 00:12:25,760 in this beautiful tree of life with 309 00:12:31,670 --> 00:12:29,519 archaea bacteria and eukaryotes most of 310 00:12:34,550 --> 00:12:31,680 which are single-celled 311 00:12:37,110 --> 00:12:34,560 microbial organisms 312 00:12:38,870 --> 00:12:37,120 so might there be a second tree of life 313 00:12:42,150 --> 00:12:38,880 out there in our solar system 314 00:12:44,470 --> 00:12:42,160 could there be a forest of trees of life 315 00:12:46,949 --> 00:12:44,480 in our solar system and beyond 316 00:12:49,430 --> 00:12:46,959 to probe that question 317 00:12:51,590 --> 00:12:49,440 i think we need to explore these ocean 318 00:12:53,030 --> 00:12:51,600 worlds of the outer solar system 319 00:12:54,550 --> 00:12:53,040 shown here 320 00:12:56,470 --> 00:12:54,560 is a portrait 321 00:12:59,110 --> 00:12:56,480 of the ocean worlds of our solar system 322 00:13:01,110 --> 00:12:59,120 at the center of course is the earth 323 00:13:02,470 --> 00:13:01,120 and around the earth i've placed europa 324 00:13:05,269 --> 00:13:02,480 ganymede 325 00:13:08,069 --> 00:13:05,279 and callisto three moons of jupiter 326 00:13:11,670 --> 00:13:08,079 enceladus and and titan two moons of 327 00:13:12,710 --> 00:13:11,680 saturn and even neptune's curious moon 328 00:13:13,910 --> 00:13:12,720 triton 329 00:13:16,389 --> 00:13:13,920 we think 330 00:13:17,910 --> 00:13:16,399 could possibly harbor 331 00:13:19,430 --> 00:13:17,920 an ocean 332 00:13:20,790 --> 00:13:19,440 in that case it would be liquid water 333 00:13:21,910 --> 00:13:20,800 mixed with ammonia and a few other 334 00:13:23,670 --> 00:13:21,920 things 335 00:13:26,069 --> 00:13:23,680 but these moons of the outer solar 336 00:13:28,470 --> 00:13:26,079 system are covered in ice and beneath 337 00:13:31,350 --> 00:13:28,480 their icy shells we have good reason to 338 00:13:34,629 --> 00:13:31,360 believe that vast quantities of liquid 339 00:13:36,629 --> 00:13:34,639 water are there today and may have 340 00:13:39,350 --> 00:13:36,639 persisted for much of the history of the 341 00:13:43,030 --> 00:13:41,110 this information this knowledge is 342 00:13:44,470 --> 00:13:43,040 really transforming our understanding of 343 00:13:46,550 --> 00:13:44,480 what it takes for a world to be 344 00:13:49,189 --> 00:13:46,560 habitable in the early days of planetary 345 00:13:52,870 --> 00:13:49,199 science and astronomy 346 00:13:55,910 --> 00:13:52,880 the idea of a habitable zone was defined 347 00:13:58,470 --> 00:13:55,920 largely by the need to be at just 348 00:14:00,069 --> 00:13:58,480 the right distance from your parent star 349 00:14:01,110 --> 00:14:00,079 such that you had enough energy to 350 00:14:03,750 --> 00:14:01,120 maintain 351 00:14:06,230 --> 00:14:03,760 a liquid water ocean on the surface in 352 00:14:09,030 --> 00:14:06,240 contact with an atmosphere 353 00:14:11,189 --> 00:14:09,040 and and that ocean could cycle with a 354 00:14:12,790 --> 00:14:11,199 sea floor and and the atmosphere and so 355 00:14:14,629 --> 00:14:12,800 we had this sort of goldilocks scenario 356 00:14:16,949 --> 00:14:14,639 where if you're at the earth sun 357 00:14:18,870 --> 00:14:16,959 distance you could maintain a liquid 358 00:14:21,430 --> 00:14:18,880 water ocean on the surface 359 00:14:23,829 --> 00:14:21,440 if you got too close you got too hot 360 00:14:25,829 --> 00:14:23,839 like venus and you could not sustain an 361 00:14:28,470 --> 00:14:25,839 ocean if you got too far away you got 362 00:14:30,310 --> 00:14:28,480 too cold and you could not sustain an 363 00:14:33,509 --> 00:14:30,320 ocean 364 00:14:36,470 --> 00:14:33,519 solar system are telling us is that this 365 00:14:38,629 --> 00:14:36,480 is kind of an old goldilocks 366 00:14:40,949 --> 00:14:38,639 there's a new goldilocks in town and 367 00:14:41,910 --> 00:14:40,959 it's a goldilocks that is 368 00:14:43,829 --> 00:14:41,920 not 369 00:14:46,069 --> 00:14:43,839 mediated by distance from your parent 370 00:14:48,389 --> 00:14:46,079 star and the energy that you get from 371 00:14:51,670 --> 00:14:48,399 your parent star instead it's a 372 00:14:55,350 --> 00:14:51,680 goldilocks zone for habitability that is 373 00:14:57,670 --> 00:14:55,360 mediated by tidal energy dissipation 374 00:15:00,069 --> 00:14:57,680 and there's no better example for this 375 00:15:02,230 --> 00:15:00,079 kind of energy dynamic than jupiter's 376 00:15:04,870 --> 00:15:02,240 moon io shown here 377 00:15:06,310 --> 00:15:04,880 and what you're seeing on io in that 378 00:15:09,430 --> 00:15:06,320 northern region 379 00:15:12,870 --> 00:15:09,440 is a volcanic eruption 380 00:15:15,590 --> 00:15:12,880 io is the most volcanically active body 381 00:15:17,990 --> 00:15:15,600 in our solar system more volcanically 382 00:15:20,790 --> 00:15:18,000 active than the earth 383 00:15:23,350 --> 00:15:20,800 and it is so volcanically active 384 00:15:24,629 --> 00:15:23,360 because of the tidal tug and pole that 385 00:15:27,269 --> 00:15:24,639 it experiences 386 00:15:29,990 --> 00:15:27,279 as it orbits jupiter in its slightly 387 00:15:32,470 --> 00:15:30,000 elliptical orbit 388 00:15:33,749 --> 00:15:32,480 so the jovian system the large moons of 389 00:15:35,430 --> 00:15:33,759 jupiter 390 00:15:37,910 --> 00:15:35,440 provide us with this sort of new 391 00:15:40,230 --> 00:15:37,920 goldilocks for habitability 392 00:15:43,269 --> 00:15:40,240 where io is kind of like venus io has 393 00:15:45,749 --> 00:15:43,279 too much energy just being dissipated io 394 00:15:48,629 --> 00:15:45,759 lost any water that it once had the 395 00:15:51,430 --> 00:15:48,639 yellows the reds the whites that you see 396 00:15:54,550 --> 00:15:51,440 those are all various forms of sulfur 397 00:15:56,389 --> 00:15:54,560 from the volcanic eruptions 398 00:15:57,590 --> 00:15:56,399 at the farther reaches you've got 399 00:16:01,670 --> 00:15:57,600 callisto 400 00:16:03,749 --> 00:16:01,680 though we think it has an ocean 401 00:16:06,230 --> 00:16:03,759 callisto's ocean is trapped beneath a 402 00:16:08,310 --> 00:16:06,240 very thick layer of ice and that layer 403 00:16:10,629 --> 00:16:08,320 of ice is quite old as evidenced by all 404 00:16:13,269 --> 00:16:10,639 the the pock marks on the surface ice of 405 00:16:15,749 --> 00:16:13,279 callisto all of those little pock marks 406 00:16:18,069 --> 00:16:15,759 are craters 407 00:16:20,550 --> 00:16:18,079 but in the middle 408 00:16:22,870 --> 00:16:20,560 in this sort of new goldilocks zone for 409 00:16:25,189 --> 00:16:22,880 habitability we've got europa and 410 00:16:26,069 --> 00:16:25,199 ganymede and europa in particular we 411 00:16:28,710 --> 00:16:26,079 think 412 00:16:30,629 --> 00:16:28,720 might satisfy the conditions for 413 00:16:32,389 --> 00:16:30,639 habitability as we've come to know and 414 00:16:34,710 --> 00:16:32,399 love it for for life on earth and that 415 00:16:37,749 --> 00:16:34,720 is needing liquid water 416 00:16:39,749 --> 00:16:37,759 access to the building blocks of life 417 00:16:43,430 --> 00:16:39,759 and some energy some chemical 418 00:16:45,749 --> 00:16:43,440 disequilibrium that life can harness 419 00:16:47,269 --> 00:16:45,759 and again part of why these worlds are 420 00:16:49,189 --> 00:16:47,279 so compelling in our search for life 421 00:16:51,829 --> 00:16:49,199 elsewhere is that if we've learned 422 00:16:53,509 --> 00:16:51,839 anything from life on earth it's that 423 00:16:55,269 --> 00:16:53,519 where you find liquid water you 424 00:16:57,590 --> 00:16:55,279 generally find life 425 00:16:59,910 --> 00:16:57,600 from life in these extreme environments 426 00:17:01,509 --> 00:16:59,920 from hydrothermal vents hot springs in 427 00:17:04,549 --> 00:17:01,519 the rift valley 428 00:17:06,470 --> 00:17:04,559 the coldest regions of antarctica 429 00:17:09,189 --> 00:17:06,480 where there's liquid water even if it's 430 00:17:09,990 --> 00:17:09,199 transient life somehow somehow finds a 431 00:17:12,230 --> 00:17:10,000 way 432 00:17:12,949 --> 00:17:12,240 from life in extreme environments 433 00:17:16,069 --> 00:17:12,959 to 434 00:17:18,470 --> 00:17:16,079 life of extreme lifestyles 435 00:17:21,189 --> 00:17:18,480 life on earth all depends on liquid 436 00:17:24,549 --> 00:17:21,199 water and and this also helps to 437 00:17:26,549 --> 00:17:24,559 underscore this issue of 438 00:17:28,549 --> 00:17:26,559 searching for a different biochemistry a 439 00:17:29,750 --> 00:17:28,559 different tree of life 440 00:17:31,270 --> 00:17:29,760 um 441 00:17:33,510 --> 00:17:31,280 for all of the 442 00:17:35,669 --> 00:17:33,520 the the crazy life forms from the 443 00:17:36,870 --> 00:17:35,679 tiniest microbe to the craziest rock 444 00:17:39,669 --> 00:17:36,880 star 445 00:17:41,270 --> 00:17:39,679 we are all not only connected by the dna 446 00:17:43,590 --> 00:17:41,280 tree of life 447 00:17:45,909 --> 00:17:43,600 but we're also connected by the same 448 00:17:49,029 --> 00:17:45,919 fundamental biochemistry of dna rna 449 00:17:50,789 --> 00:17:49,039 proteins and even atp 450 00:17:52,390 --> 00:17:50,799 is there a different way of getting the 451 00:17:53,750 --> 00:17:52,400 business of life done is there a 452 00:17:54,710 --> 00:17:53,760 different way 453 00:18:00,150 --> 00:17:54,720 to 454 00:18:02,390 --> 00:18:00,160 don't know 455 00:18:04,310 --> 00:18:02,400 but when it comes to these oceans how do 456 00:18:05,830 --> 00:18:04,320 we think we know they exist well it all 457 00:18:07,990 --> 00:18:05,840 begins of course 458 00:18:09,909 --> 00:18:08,000 with our exploration 459 00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:09,919 and here at jpl 460 00:18:13,110 --> 00:18:11,200 uh 461 00:18:15,750 --> 00:18:13,120 we've been at the forefront of exploring 462 00:18:17,270 --> 00:18:15,760 these worlds for europa and enceladus 463 00:18:19,990 --> 00:18:17,280 the champions of that exploration are 464 00:18:21,830 --> 00:18:20,000 the cassini spacecraft shown at left and 465 00:18:22,630 --> 00:18:21,840 the galileo spacecraft shown at upper 466 00:18:25,110 --> 00:18:22,640 right 467 00:18:26,549 --> 00:18:25,120 and of course these these spacecraft 468 00:18:28,549 --> 00:18:26,559 would be useless if we couldn't actually 469 00:18:30,470 --> 00:18:28,559 get the signal back and the deep space 470 00:18:33,190 --> 00:18:30,480 network shown at the bottom right is 471 00:18:35,590 --> 00:18:33,200 essential in getting that signal back 472 00:18:38,710 --> 00:18:35,600 and it's through these spacecraft 473 00:18:41,669 --> 00:18:38,720 that we've managed to reveal the beauty 474 00:18:43,510 --> 00:18:41,679 of worlds like saturn and i'll begin 475 00:18:46,470 --> 00:18:43,520 with a little bit of a description of 476 00:18:47,669 --> 00:18:46,480 why we think we know an ocean 477 00:18:52,390 --> 00:18:47,679 exists 478 00:18:57,190 --> 00:18:54,549 here is enceladus 479 00:18:58,710 --> 00:18:57,200 with saturn and saturn's rings 480 00:19:00,310 --> 00:18:58,720 in the background 481 00:19:02,950 --> 00:19:00,320 enceladus is a curious moon it's only 482 00:19:05,990 --> 00:19:02,960 about 500 kilometers in diameter 483 00:19:07,350 --> 00:19:06,000 uh not too much bigger uh in span than 484 00:19:09,190 --> 00:19:07,360 than sort of the uh 485 00:19:10,630 --> 00:19:09,200 the great lakes region 486 00:19:12,950 --> 00:19:10,640 but you notice something immediately 487 00:19:15,029 --> 00:19:12,960 when you take a closer look at enceladus 488 00:19:17,029 --> 00:19:15,039 the northern hemisphere is dotted with 489 00:19:19,110 --> 00:19:17,039 all these craters whereas the southern 490 00:19:20,950 --> 00:19:19,120 hemisphere 491 00:19:24,470 --> 00:19:20,960 they're essentially no craters but you 492 00:19:27,110 --> 00:19:24,480 have these tiger stripe fractures 493 00:19:28,470 --> 00:19:27,120 the surface is telling us the story 494 00:19:30,150 --> 00:19:28,480 in the north 495 00:19:32,390 --> 00:19:30,160 those craters have been around for a 496 00:19:34,070 --> 00:19:32,400 long time in the south the absence of 497 00:19:37,190 --> 00:19:34,080 craters tells us that this is a fresh 498 00:19:42,070 --> 00:19:39,590 and these fractures which we've now come 499 00:19:43,830 --> 00:19:42,080 to call the tiger stripes if we take a 500 00:19:46,390 --> 00:19:43,840 closer look 501 00:19:49,510 --> 00:19:46,400 and get just the right angle as the 502 00:19:50,630 --> 00:19:49,520 cassini spacecraft has has managed to uh 503 00:19:52,070 --> 00:19:50,640 to enable 504 00:19:54,549 --> 00:19:52,080 we get what i would argue is one of the 505 00:19:56,150 --> 00:19:54,559 most beautiful images 506 00:20:00,870 --> 00:19:56,160 ever collected in our solar system 507 00:20:03,270 --> 00:20:00,880 exploration an image of plumes erupting 508 00:20:05,510 --> 00:20:03,280 out of fractures from the south polar 509 00:20:06,390 --> 00:20:05,520 terrain of enceladus 510 00:20:08,710 --> 00:20:06,400 um 511 00:20:11,350 --> 00:20:08,720 you know normally when i give this talk 512 00:20:14,070 --> 00:20:11,360 audiences ooh and ah at the fractures 513 00:20:16,950 --> 00:20:14,080 um clearly this is a a uh 514 00:20:19,830 --> 00:20:16,960 the the jpl audience has seen uh uh 515 00:20:21,430 --> 00:20:19,840 enceladus all over 516 00:20:23,029 --> 00:20:21,440 of course part of what's exciting is not 517 00:20:23,990 --> 00:20:23,039 only can you see the plumes but you can 518 00:20:27,190 --> 00:20:24,000 see 519 00:20:28,870 --> 00:20:27,200 fresh snow or fresh uh deposits along 520 00:20:30,390 --> 00:20:28,880 some of these fractures 521 00:20:32,830 --> 00:20:30,400 and zooming in 522 00:20:36,310 --> 00:20:32,840 one of the the highest 523 00:20:38,310 --> 00:20:36,320 resolution mosaics of enceladus 524 00:20:40,470 --> 00:20:38,320 shows these fractures up close where 525 00:20:43,029 --> 00:20:40,480 these boulders along some of the 526 00:20:44,630 --> 00:20:43,039 fractures are just a few meters in 527 00:20:45,909 --> 00:20:44,640 diameter 528 00:20:47,590 --> 00:20:45,919 and part of 529 00:20:49,750 --> 00:20:47,600 what of course we want to accomplish 530 00:20:52,070 --> 00:20:49,760 with our future of exploration 531 00:20:53,350 --> 00:20:52,080 is developing and designing the robotic 532 00:20:56,310 --> 00:20:53,360 spacecraft 533 00:20:58,230 --> 00:20:56,320 that will dive into these fractures 534 00:21:00,630 --> 00:20:58,240 down into these regions where we have 535 00:21:03,110 --> 00:21:00,640 good knowledge of plumes coming up 536 00:21:04,950 --> 00:21:03,120 connecting to an ocean 537 00:21:07,750 --> 00:21:04,960 below 538 00:21:09,750 --> 00:21:07,760 the sunlight here gives you some 539 00:21:12,310 --> 00:21:09,760 view into the deepest regions of some of 540 00:21:15,110 --> 00:21:12,320 these cracks and in a few of these 541 00:21:18,230 --> 00:21:15,120 pockets are where those fractures 542 00:21:20,070 --> 00:21:18,240 are where those plumes are coming out 543 00:21:22,149 --> 00:21:20,080 so on enceladus we've got this curious 544 00:21:23,510 --> 00:21:22,159 situation where the ocean is literally 545 00:21:26,070 --> 00:21:23,520 jumping out at us 546 00:21:28,710 --> 00:21:26,080 the the cassini spacecraft has flown to 547 00:21:32,950 --> 00:21:28,720 within 25 kilometers of enceladus 548 00:21:35,110 --> 00:21:32,960 surface it's sampled what we think is 549 00:21:37,190 --> 00:21:35,120 material derived from the ocean 550 00:21:39,590 --> 00:21:37,200 determined that there are salts in that 551 00:21:41,350 --> 00:21:39,600 water that there are organics in that 552 00:21:44,549 --> 00:21:41,360 water that there are compounds like 553 00:21:46,390 --> 00:21:44,559 carbon dioxide and methane in that water 554 00:21:50,070 --> 00:21:46,400 which could of course be quite useful 555 00:21:52,710 --> 00:21:50,080 from an astrobiological standpoint 556 00:21:56,390 --> 00:21:52,720 now at europa the situation is quite a 557 00:21:59,110 --> 00:21:57,669 enceladus 558 00:22:01,430 --> 00:21:59,120 we can see 559 00:22:03,750 --> 00:22:01,440 is active today 560 00:22:06,789 --> 00:22:03,760 europa the evidence for activity the 561 00:22:09,669 --> 00:22:06,799 evidence for plumes on europa is still 562 00:22:11,750 --> 00:22:09,679 under study and is a bit tenuous 563 00:22:14,789 --> 00:22:11,760 but europa is a much larger world it's 564 00:22:17,270 --> 00:22:14,799 about 3 000 kilometers in diameter and 565 00:22:20,470 --> 00:22:17,280 any plumes that we would expect to erupt 566 00:22:22,549 --> 00:22:20,480 on on europa would not go nearly as high 567 00:22:26,149 --> 00:22:22,559 as the plumes on on enceladus which 568 00:22:27,590 --> 00:22:26,159 extend outward for some 500 kilometers 569 00:22:29,029 --> 00:22:27,600 but nevertheless we think that the 570 00:22:30,470 --> 00:22:29,039 fracturing that we're seeing in this 571 00:22:33,510 --> 00:22:30,480 surface ice 572 00:22:36,149 --> 00:22:33,520 is in part caused by the tidal energy 573 00:22:38,950 --> 00:22:36,159 dissipation uh in the past perhaps in 574 00:22:41,909 --> 00:22:38,960 the present creating these these 575 00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:41,919 fractures and lineaments 576 00:22:46,310 --> 00:22:44,320 this ocean is of course maintained 577 00:22:47,990 --> 00:22:46,320 through this tidal inter energy 578 00:22:50,470 --> 00:22:48,000 interaction europa is about the size of 579 00:22:54,070 --> 00:22:50,480 our own moon but orbits jupiter which is 580 00:22:57,590 --> 00:22:54,080 some 318 times as massive as the earth 581 00:23:00,630 --> 00:22:57,600 and so the liquid water ocean on europa 582 00:23:01,669 --> 00:23:00,640 is about 100 kilometers deep by our best 583 00:23:03,590 --> 00:23:01,679 estimates 584 00:23:06,870 --> 00:23:03,600 and if you do the math it turns out that 585 00:23:08,390 --> 00:23:06,880 europa's ocean contains roughly two to 586 00:23:10,710 --> 00:23:08,400 three times the volume 587 00:23:14,070 --> 00:23:10,720 of all the liquid water in the oceans 588 00:23:15,909 --> 00:23:14,080 seas and lakes on earth 589 00:23:17,830 --> 00:23:15,919 showing that pictorially 590 00:23:19,350 --> 00:23:17,840 here's an image 591 00:23:20,310 --> 00:23:19,360 that some colleagues at woods hole put 592 00:23:22,950 --> 00:23:20,320 together 593 00:23:25,110 --> 00:23:22,960 showing all of the water on earth rolled 594 00:23:25,990 --> 00:23:25,120 up into a blue 595 00:23:30,230 --> 00:23:26,000 ball 596 00:23:31,350 --> 00:23:30,240 that blue marble is all of earth's water 597 00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:31,360 now the first thing that you should 598 00:23:34,390 --> 00:23:32,880 appreciate when you see this image is 599 00:23:37,350 --> 00:23:34,400 that of course we need to take care of 600 00:23:40,630 --> 00:23:37,360 our home planet and protect the uh the 601 00:23:42,870 --> 00:23:40,640 scarce water that we have here 602 00:23:44,470 --> 00:23:42,880 if you do the same calculation 603 00:23:46,710 --> 00:23:44,480 for europa 604 00:23:48,870 --> 00:23:46,720 you end up with a blue marble that 605 00:23:50,710 --> 00:23:48,880 contains about two to three times the 606 00:23:52,470 --> 00:23:50,720 volume of all the liquid water found 607 00:23:54,950 --> 00:23:52,480 here 608 00:23:58,149 --> 00:23:54,960 now as i mentioned on europa we don't 609 00:23:59,990 --> 00:23:58,159 have the smoking gun of plumes erupting 610 00:24:01,029 --> 00:24:00,000 we haven't seen any new fractures 611 00:24:03,590 --> 00:24:01,039 forming 612 00:24:05,990 --> 00:24:03,600 that i would argue is largely due to 613 00:24:07,830 --> 00:24:06,000 limitations in in our data limitations 614 00:24:11,510 --> 00:24:07,840 in and what's been returned by the 615 00:24:13,350 --> 00:24:11,520 voyager and galileo spacecraft 616 00:24:15,510 --> 00:24:13,360 but we have very good reason to believe 617 00:24:18,390 --> 00:24:15,520 that that ocean exists 618 00:24:22,070 --> 00:24:18,400 and the discovery of this ocean 619 00:24:23,510 --> 00:24:22,080 i like to break into three easy pieces 620 00:24:27,350 --> 00:24:23,520 the first piece 621 00:24:31,350 --> 00:24:29,590 much of what i do here at jpl is 622 00:24:35,990 --> 00:24:31,360 spectroscopy 623 00:24:37,909 --> 00:24:36,000 is basically a scientist fancy word for 624 00:24:39,909 --> 00:24:37,919 studying rainbows 625 00:24:41,669 --> 00:24:39,919 if you take a rainbow 626 00:24:43,669 --> 00:24:41,679 and turn it on its side 627 00:24:44,789 --> 00:24:43,679 and look at the intensity of the 628 00:24:47,110 --> 00:24:44,799 different colors the different 629 00:24:48,070 --> 00:24:47,120 wavelengths 630 00:24:49,830 --> 00:24:48,080 that 631 00:24:51,669 --> 00:24:49,840 is essentially a spectrum 632 00:24:54,149 --> 00:24:51,679 and by looking at the variations and 633 00:24:55,590 --> 00:24:54,159 intensity of the various colors 634 00:24:56,870 --> 00:24:55,600 you can reveal 635 00:24:58,390 --> 00:24:56,880 important information about the 636 00:25:00,149 --> 00:24:58,400 composition of 637 00:25:01,909 --> 00:25:00,159 the water and the atmosphere the other 638 00:25:04,230 --> 00:25:01,919 compounds in our atmosphere the 639 00:25:06,230 --> 00:25:04,240 composition of our sun 640 00:25:08,630 --> 00:25:06,240 and so spectroscopy is an incredibly 641 00:25:10,789 --> 00:25:08,640 useful tool for getting at surface and 642 00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:10,799 gaseous compositions and that's exactly 643 00:25:16,230 --> 00:25:12,480 what astronomers did back in the late 644 00:25:18,310 --> 00:25:16,240 1950s and 1960s they turned telescopes 645 00:25:19,990 --> 00:25:18,320 to the jovian system 646 00:25:21,510 --> 00:25:20,000 and measured 647 00:25:22,470 --> 00:25:21,520 the surface of europa and what they 648 00:25:23,510 --> 00:25:22,480 found 649 00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:23,520 is this 650 00:25:26,950 --> 00:25:25,760 an infrared spectrum an infrared rainbow 651 00:25:30,230 --> 00:25:26,960 turned on its side creating this 652 00:25:32,549 --> 00:25:30,240 spectrum with a highly diagnostic 653 00:25:34,710 --> 00:25:32,559 stepwise function of with absorptions at 654 00:25:38,470 --> 00:25:34,720 one and a half and two microns 655 00:25:40,310 --> 00:25:38,480 that is indicative of water ice 656 00:25:42,549 --> 00:25:40,320 and so by making that rainbow connection 657 00:25:45,029 --> 00:25:42,559 by doing the spectroscopy 658 00:25:47,990 --> 00:25:45,039 of europa scientists were able to first 659 00:25:50,149 --> 00:25:48,000 discover that europa's surface 660 00:25:52,390 --> 00:25:50,159 is at least covered with water in the 661 00:25:54,870 --> 00:25:52,400 solid phase 662 00:25:57,669 --> 00:25:54,880 the second piece of the puzzle 663 00:25:58,950 --> 00:25:57,679 is to babysit a spacecraft 664 00:26:01,430 --> 00:25:58,960 and 665 00:26:02,390 --> 00:26:01,440 the spacecraft being babysat 666 00:26:05,350 --> 00:26:02,400 was 667 00:26:07,830 --> 00:26:05,360 galileo and the babysitter 668 00:26:10,149 --> 00:26:07,840 is the deep space network 669 00:26:12,390 --> 00:26:10,159 by carefully monitoring the position of 670 00:26:13,830 --> 00:26:12,400 the galileo spacecraft as it flew by 671 00:26:15,110 --> 00:26:13,840 europa 672 00:26:17,190 --> 00:26:15,120 the deep space network and the 673 00:26:19,269 --> 00:26:17,200 scientists working on 674 00:26:20,230 --> 00:26:19,279 tracking the spacecraft were able to 675 00:26:22,390 --> 00:26:20,240 measure 676 00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:22,400 the slightest of deviations due to 677 00:26:27,990 --> 00:26:25,760 variations in europa's gravity 678 00:26:29,830 --> 00:26:28,000 and through that determination which 679 00:26:32,149 --> 00:26:29,840 involves a lot of math 680 00:26:33,590 --> 00:26:32,159 that i won't go into tonight 681 00:26:37,029 --> 00:26:33,600 though i imagine some members of this 682 00:26:39,430 --> 00:26:37,039 audience would love to dive into this 683 00:26:41,190 --> 00:26:39,440 through careful analysis of the gravity 684 00:26:42,950 --> 00:26:41,200 perturbations that were experienced by 685 00:26:43,990 --> 00:26:42,960 the galileo spacecraft as it flew by 686 00:26:46,390 --> 00:26:44,000 europa 687 00:26:48,630 --> 00:26:46,400 and doing the gravity inversion for the 688 00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:48,640 moment of inertia 689 00:26:53,110 --> 00:26:50,880 that leads to 690 00:26:54,070 --> 00:26:53,120 an internal mass distribution or 691 00:26:56,710 --> 00:26:54,080 internal 692 00:26:59,909 --> 00:26:56,720 density distribution for europa where 693 00:27:03,029 --> 00:26:59,919 we've got an iron or an iron sulfur core 694 00:27:05,510 --> 00:27:03,039 a silicate or rocky mantle 695 00:27:08,070 --> 00:27:05,520 and then an outer layer a layer of 696 00:27:11,029 --> 00:27:08,080 roughly 100 to 200 kilometers 697 00:27:12,950 --> 00:27:11,039 of unit density material 698 00:27:14,870 --> 00:27:12,960 and the simplest explanation for that 699 00:27:18,149 --> 00:27:14,880 unit density material 700 00:27:19,990 --> 00:27:18,159 is water in either liquid or solid phase 701 00:27:21,669 --> 00:27:20,000 now the the gravity information is 702 00:27:23,590 --> 00:27:21,679 insufficient to reveal the density 703 00:27:25,430 --> 00:27:23,600 difference between solid and liquid 704 00:27:27,830 --> 00:27:25,440 water and so 705 00:27:30,310 --> 00:27:27,840 the the second piece of the puzzle 706 00:27:32,310 --> 00:27:30,320 leaves us with this picture of europa 707 00:27:34,630 --> 00:27:32,320 where we've got a lot of water but we 708 00:27:36,230 --> 00:27:34,640 don't yet have an ocean 709 00:27:38,630 --> 00:27:36,240 to get to the ocean we need the final 710 00:27:40,149 --> 00:27:38,640 piece of the puzzle and that i like to 711 00:27:43,350 --> 00:27:40,159 make the analogy to 712 00:27:45,190 --> 00:27:43,360 adhering to airport security 713 00:27:47,269 --> 00:27:45,200 and uh 714 00:27:49,269 --> 00:27:47,279 my apologies for this fuzzy picture this 715 00:27:51,110 --> 00:27:49,279 is a picture that i took at at 716 00:27:53,430 --> 00:27:51,120 john f kennedy airport 717 00:27:55,990 --> 00:27:53,440 uh and i was trying not to get arrested 718 00:27:57,669 --> 00:27:56,000 so it's a it's a little bit blurry 719 00:27:59,350 --> 00:27:57,679 but so what happens when you walk 720 00:28:01,269 --> 00:27:59,360 through a metal detector at an airport 721 00:28:04,710 --> 00:28:01,279 what's happening is that you're walking 722 00:28:06,389 --> 00:28:04,720 through a time-varying magnetic field 723 00:28:08,950 --> 00:28:06,399 and if you've got a conductor in your 724 00:28:11,430 --> 00:28:08,960 pocket that time-varying magnetic field 725 00:28:13,590 --> 00:28:11,440 in that little doorway gives rise to 726 00:28:15,350 --> 00:28:13,600 induced electric currents 727 00:28:17,590 --> 00:28:15,360 in that conductor in your pocket and 728 00:28:19,990 --> 00:28:17,600 that those induced electric currents 729 00:28:21,669 --> 00:28:20,000 give rise to an induced magnetic field 730 00:28:22,789 --> 00:28:21,679 and within that little doorway are 731 00:28:25,269 --> 00:28:22,799 special 732 00:28:27,430 --> 00:28:25,279 detectors that are searching for 733 00:28:29,669 --> 00:28:27,440 that induced magnetic field and the 734 00:28:31,909 --> 00:28:29,679 alarm goes off 735 00:28:34,389 --> 00:28:31,919 well out at europa when the galileo 736 00:28:37,909 --> 00:28:34,399 spacecraft flew by europa 737 00:28:41,190 --> 00:28:37,919 the alarm essentially went off 738 00:28:43,430 --> 00:28:41,200 galileo had a fancy compass on board a 739 00:28:44,389 --> 00:28:43,440 magnetometer and that magnetometer was 740 00:28:45,510 --> 00:28:44,399 able to 741 00:28:48,230 --> 00:28:45,520 detect 742 00:28:50,950 --> 00:28:48,240 an induced magnetic field 743 00:28:52,149 --> 00:28:50,960 around europa a magnetic field that was 744 00:28:54,070 --> 00:28:52,159 not 745 00:28:57,350 --> 00:28:54,080 intrinsic to europa 746 00:29:00,070 --> 00:28:57,360 but which was being caused and mediated 747 00:29:01,350 --> 00:29:00,080 by jupiter's incredibly strong time 748 00:29:03,110 --> 00:29:01,360 varying field 749 00:29:05,190 --> 00:29:03,120 again a lot of math 750 00:29:07,669 --> 00:29:05,200 that i won't go into tonight but what 751 00:29:10,149 --> 00:29:07,679 this third piece of the puzzle leads to 752 00:29:11,669 --> 00:29:10,159 is that you need some near surface 753 00:29:13,190 --> 00:29:11,679 conducting layer 754 00:29:14,310 --> 00:29:13,200 analogous to the conductor in your 755 00:29:16,950 --> 00:29:14,320 pocket when you're walking through 756 00:29:19,110 --> 00:29:16,960 airport security you need some conductor 757 00:29:20,950 --> 00:29:19,120 in your pocket to create that induced 758 00:29:23,269 --> 00:29:20,960 magnetic field 759 00:29:25,190 --> 00:29:23,279 and the best explanation for that 760 00:29:28,710 --> 00:29:25,200 induced magnetic field 761 00:29:30,789 --> 00:29:28,720 is a salty liquid water layer near the 762 00:29:32,870 --> 00:29:30,799 surface of europa 763 00:29:35,110 --> 00:29:32,880 an iron core sure that's conductive but 764 00:29:36,710 --> 00:29:35,120 it's too far away from the spacecraft to 765 00:29:37,750 --> 00:29:36,720 explain the induced magnetic field 766 00:29:39,510 --> 00:29:37,760 signature 767 00:29:41,510 --> 00:29:39,520 those rocky silicates they're not 768 00:29:44,389 --> 00:29:41,520 conductive enough to explain 769 00:29:47,830 --> 00:29:44,399 that induced magnetic field signature 770 00:29:50,630 --> 00:29:47,840 ice even ice doped with salts still not 771 00:29:53,269 --> 00:29:50,640 conductive enough the best explanation 772 00:29:57,029 --> 00:29:53,279 for the induced magnetic field signature 773 00:29:59,990 --> 00:29:57,039 is this salty liquid water ocean 774 00:30:01,750 --> 00:30:00,000 overlaying by an ice shell of a few to 775 00:30:05,190 --> 00:30:01,760 maybe 10 or 15 776 00:30:09,830 --> 00:30:06,789 and here 777 00:30:11,029 --> 00:30:09,840 is one of the highest resolution mosaics 778 00:30:13,269 --> 00:30:11,039 that we have 779 00:30:15,110 --> 00:30:13,279 of the surface of europa 780 00:30:17,669 --> 00:30:15,120 this is the airplane 781 00:30:19,269 --> 00:30:17,679 view if you were able to look out 782 00:30:21,990 --> 00:30:19,279 across europa 783 00:30:23,909 --> 00:30:22,000 these ice cliffs with dark material that 784 00:30:26,389 --> 00:30:23,919 we know very little about 785 00:30:27,590 --> 00:30:26,399 jutting up from below fractures 786 00:30:29,990 --> 00:30:27,600 that 787 00:30:32,070 --> 00:30:30,000 perhaps have formed recently 788 00:30:34,389 --> 00:30:32,080 or perhaps they formed tens of millions 789 00:30:37,430 --> 00:30:34,399 of years ago at this point in time we 790 00:30:39,909 --> 00:30:37,440 just don't know and we don't know if 791 00:30:41,510 --> 00:30:39,919 some of this dark material is coming up 792 00:30:43,669 --> 00:30:41,520 from the ocean below 793 00:30:46,149 --> 00:30:43,679 if it tells us about the oceanic 794 00:30:47,029 --> 00:30:46,159 composition if it tells us 795 00:30:48,630 --> 00:30:47,039 about 796 00:30:50,470 --> 00:30:48,640 life forms living 797 00:30:53,590 --> 00:30:50,480 in that ocean below 798 00:30:55,190 --> 00:30:53,600 the galileo spacecraft left us with just 799 00:30:57,430 --> 00:30:55,200 enough information 800 00:30:59,509 --> 00:30:57,440 to feel confident about the presence of 801 00:31:01,590 --> 00:30:59,519 this global liquid water ocean 802 00:31:03,590 --> 00:31:01,600 but not enough information to know 803 00:31:06,870 --> 00:31:03,600 whether or not that ocean is in fact 804 00:31:11,029 --> 00:31:08,870 and that brings us back to earth and 805 00:31:13,190 --> 00:31:11,039 trying to understand some of these 806 00:31:14,549 --> 00:31:13,200 parameters some of the the constraints 807 00:31:17,990 --> 00:31:14,559 that we can place 808 00:31:20,630 --> 00:31:18,000 on habitability for life as we know it 809 00:31:22,389 --> 00:31:20,640 and life on earth is our guide for what 810 00:31:24,070 --> 00:31:22,399 it takes for a world to be habitable as 811 00:31:26,149 --> 00:31:24,080 i mentioned you need liquid water you 812 00:31:28,310 --> 00:31:26,159 need the elements for life and you need 813 00:31:30,710 --> 00:31:28,320 some form of energy 814 00:31:33,590 --> 00:31:30,720 and so what i'd like to do next is give 815 00:31:34,710 --> 00:31:33,600 you four short stories 816 00:31:38,230 --> 00:31:34,720 about 817 00:31:39,590 --> 00:31:38,240 life in extreme environments on earth 818 00:31:42,230 --> 00:31:39,600 first 819 00:31:43,830 --> 00:31:42,240 life in the cold then life in the deep 820 00:31:44,950 --> 00:31:43,840 and we'll work our way from the surface 821 00:31:49,110 --> 00:31:44,960 of the earth 822 00:31:51,669 --> 00:31:49,120 down to the deepest depths of our ocean 823 00:31:54,310 --> 00:31:51,679 the coldest place on earth is no 824 00:31:57,509 --> 00:31:54,320 challenge for life as we know it this is 825 00:32:03,190 --> 00:31:57,519 the dry valleys of antarctica 826 00:32:03,990 --> 00:32:03,200 we were working there back in in 2005 827 00:32:05,750 --> 00:32:04,000 this 828 00:32:07,830 --> 00:32:05,760 is a particular area called battleship 829 00:32:10,230 --> 00:32:07,840 promontory named in part because the 830 00:32:11,990 --> 00:32:10,240 early navy pilots who flew through there 831 00:32:15,350 --> 00:32:12,000 thought that that geological feature 832 00:32:16,870 --> 00:32:15,360 looked like a navy battleship 833 00:32:19,750 --> 00:32:16,880 we were there testing out 834 00:32:22,070 --> 00:32:19,760 instrumentation and studying life in the 835 00:32:24,549 --> 00:32:22,080 rocks of course around the perimeter of 836 00:32:26,070 --> 00:32:24,559 of antarctica there are penguins there 837 00:32:28,310 --> 00:32:26,080 are there are seals there are all sorts 838 00:32:29,669 --> 00:32:28,320 of other creatures but in the interior 839 00:32:31,750 --> 00:32:29,679 of antarctica 840 00:32:34,470 --> 00:32:31,760 there's no life except these tiniest of 841 00:32:36,149 --> 00:32:34,480 microbes that live in the rocks and some 842 00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:36,159 microbes which we think might live in 843 00:32:41,269 --> 00:32:39,200 the sub-glacial lakes 844 00:32:42,470 --> 00:32:41,279 so the reds the oranges the yellows that 845 00:32:46,070 --> 00:32:42,480 you see there 846 00:32:48,230 --> 00:32:46,080 those that patina is all caused by life 847 00:32:49,430 --> 00:32:48,240 living within the pore spaces of the 848 00:32:51,830 --> 00:32:49,440 rocks 849 00:32:53,269 --> 00:32:51,840 this gives you a nice view of 850 00:32:55,669 --> 00:32:53,279 one of these valleys now this is a bit 851 00:32:57,750 --> 00:32:55,679 deceiving here the 852 00:33:00,710 --> 00:32:57,760 it looks like this 853 00:33:02,470 --> 00:33:00,720 slope goes out into that valley but uh 854 00:33:04,549 --> 00:33:02,480 really if you were to walk 855 00:33:06,310 --> 00:33:04,559 uh to the edge there and look over this 856 00:33:08,710 --> 00:33:06,320 is what you would see 857 00:33:10,870 --> 00:33:08,720 this vast cliff 858 00:33:13,430 --> 00:33:10,880 and so here again those colors that you 859 00:33:16,070 --> 00:33:13,440 see those are all evidence of of life 860 00:33:17,830 --> 00:33:16,080 within in the rocks surviving keep in 861 00:33:20,230 --> 00:33:17,840 mind that antarctica is dark for half of 862 00:33:23,110 --> 00:33:20,240 the year it's incredibly cold incredibly 863 00:33:25,029 --> 00:33:23,120 dry and yet what life is doing 864 00:33:27,029 --> 00:33:25,039 is 865 00:33:30,149 --> 00:33:27,039 eking out a living in the tiniest of 866 00:33:33,029 --> 00:33:30,159 pore spaces between the sandstone grains 867 00:33:36,149 --> 00:33:33,039 so it seeks refuge it seeks shelter in 868 00:33:38,950 --> 00:33:36,159 those poor spaces and manages to use the 869 00:33:41,350 --> 00:33:38,960 available sunlight for part of the year 870 00:33:43,190 --> 00:33:41,360 and some of the water that that melts on 871 00:33:45,669 --> 00:33:43,200 occasion during the summer to then 872 00:33:47,590 --> 00:33:45,679 metabolize and grow and reproduce and to 873 00:33:49,029 --> 00:33:47,600 do photosynthesis 874 00:33:51,909 --> 00:33:49,039 and part of what we're doing is 875 00:33:53,990 --> 00:33:51,919 developing instrumentation to study 876 00:33:57,430 --> 00:33:54,000 these cryptoendolithic microbial 877 00:34:00,070 --> 00:33:57,440 communities that manage to to thrive 878 00:34:02,470 --> 00:34:00,080 just beneath the surface 879 00:34:04,389 --> 00:34:02,480 beneath that protected veneer 880 00:34:07,830 --> 00:34:04,399 of these sandstone rocks 881 00:34:10,470 --> 00:34:07,840 so in the coldest place on earth 882 00:34:13,990 --> 00:34:10,480 life has no problem 883 00:34:15,909 --> 00:34:14,000 but let's go to some place that is cold 884 00:34:18,710 --> 00:34:15,919 uh and dark 885 00:34:20,389 --> 00:34:18,720 and and wet um 886 00:34:21,909 --> 00:34:20,399 and a place where 887 00:34:24,389 --> 00:34:21,919 um 888 00:34:26,470 --> 00:34:24,399 that gets to be a little bit closer to 889 00:34:28,389 --> 00:34:26,480 the situation that we might find on 890 00:34:31,270 --> 00:34:28,399 europa 891 00:34:33,030 --> 00:34:31,280 to do this we'll travel up to alaska 892 00:34:34,389 --> 00:34:33,040 some of this work was recently featured 893 00:34:37,030 --> 00:34:34,399 in national geographic 894 00:34:40,550 --> 00:34:37,040 and it involves studying 895 00:34:43,109 --> 00:34:40,560 these some 10 000 permafrost lakes 896 00:34:44,950 --> 00:34:43,119 that are along the north slope of alaska 897 00:34:46,550 --> 00:34:44,960 these little dots here 898 00:34:47,430 --> 00:34:46,560 are lakes that are open during the 899 00:34:49,190 --> 00:34:47,440 summer 900 00:34:50,069 --> 00:34:49,200 and then freeze over 901 00:34:52,790 --> 00:34:50,079 in 902 00:34:55,270 --> 00:34:52,800 the october november time frame and some 903 00:34:57,270 --> 00:34:55,280 fraction of these lakes have methane 904 00:34:59,270 --> 00:34:57,280 bubbling out of them 905 00:35:00,470 --> 00:34:59,280 we know it's methane because the methane 906 00:35:03,109 --> 00:35:00,480 gets trapped in the ice and we can 907 00:35:05,750 --> 00:35:03,119 actually crack open the ice and light 908 00:35:10,150 --> 00:35:05,760 some of that methane on fire 909 00:35:13,589 --> 00:35:11,750 now 910 00:35:14,870 --> 00:35:13,599 tonight i don't have time to go into a 911 00:35:17,589 --> 00:35:14,880 lot of detail 912 00:35:19,510 --> 00:35:17,599 about the the biological work that we're 913 00:35:21,349 --> 00:35:19,520 doing doing on studying the microbes 914 00:35:23,270 --> 00:35:21,359 that are utilizing some of the methane 915 00:35:25,589 --> 00:35:23,280 and the microbes that are that are 916 00:35:28,150 --> 00:35:25,599 producing some of the methane i want to 917 00:35:30,630 --> 00:35:28,160 skip to some of the the technological 918 00:35:32,790 --> 00:35:30,640 development that we're doing 919 00:35:34,150 --> 00:35:32,800 to then study and monitor these 920 00:35:36,310 --> 00:35:34,160 ecosystems 921 00:35:38,790 --> 00:35:36,320 throughout the season 922 00:35:40,310 --> 00:35:38,800 we can only as humans we're fragile and 923 00:35:41,589 --> 00:35:40,320 we can only be up there for part of the 924 00:35:42,790 --> 00:35:41,599 year 925 00:35:44,950 --> 00:35:42,800 but of course 926 00:35:47,589 --> 00:35:44,960 here at jpl we build robots that go to 927 00:35:49,829 --> 00:35:47,599 much harsher environments than than 928 00:35:51,990 --> 00:35:49,839 than the north slope of alaska why can't 929 00:35:54,870 --> 00:35:52,000 we build something that we can just 930 00:35:56,310 --> 00:35:54,880 set free and deploy to study these lakes 931 00:35:59,430 --> 00:35:56,320 autonomously 932 00:36:00,310 --> 00:35:59,440 for months to years on end 933 00:36:04,310 --> 00:36:00,320 and 934 00:36:06,630 --> 00:36:04,320 to that uh to that effect um some of 935 00:36:08,550 --> 00:36:06,640 jpl's engineers john lichty and andy 936 00:36:10,870 --> 00:36:08,560 klesch and dan barrisford i think might 937 00:36:13,190 --> 00:36:10,880 be in the audience a brilliant team of 938 00:36:14,710 --> 00:36:13,200 engineers we're we're up there studying 939 00:36:16,069 --> 00:36:14,720 these lakes and and we're trying to 940 00:36:17,589 --> 00:36:16,079 figure out some of the chemistry of the 941 00:36:20,310 --> 00:36:17,599 ice water interface 942 00:36:22,310 --> 00:36:20,320 and what microbes are are utilizing the 943 00:36:24,069 --> 00:36:22,320 methane 944 00:36:26,950 --> 00:36:24,079 and to do that 945 00:36:28,550 --> 00:36:26,960 we wanted a vehicle a submersible 946 00:36:30,950 --> 00:36:28,560 that um 947 00:36:34,550 --> 00:36:30,960 that did not disturb the water too much 948 00:36:36,310 --> 00:36:34,560 and that could have a very long lifetime 949 00:36:37,349 --> 00:36:36,320 and we sort of had this collective aha 950 00:36:39,510 --> 00:36:37,359 of well 951 00:36:41,589 --> 00:36:39,520 a traditional submersible is very energy 952 00:36:43,190 --> 00:36:41,599 intensive because it's moving in three 953 00:36:45,589 --> 00:36:43,200 dimensions 954 00:36:47,670 --> 00:36:45,599 whereas a rover is quite efficient 955 00:36:50,470 --> 00:36:47,680 because when you get to a place you like 956 00:36:52,710 --> 00:36:50,480 you can just stop and do the science 957 00:36:54,550 --> 00:36:52,720 well why not just take a rover and turn 958 00:36:56,069 --> 00:36:54,560 it upside down 959 00:36:57,910 --> 00:36:56,079 and pretend 960 00:36:58,950 --> 00:36:57,920 like we're crawling on the underside of 961 00:37:01,030 --> 00:36:58,960 the ice 962 00:37:02,790 --> 00:37:01,040 and so that's exactly what our team 963 00:37:05,349 --> 00:37:02,800 designed we call it the buoyant rover 964 00:37:09,190 --> 00:37:05,359 for under ice exploration 965 00:37:11,109 --> 00:37:09,200 and along with doing this this uh uh 966 00:37:13,349 --> 00:37:11,119 interesting mobility innovation of 967 00:37:15,349 --> 00:37:13,359 roving of having buoyancy 968 00:37:18,150 --> 00:37:15,359 stick us to the underside of the ice 969 00:37:19,829 --> 00:37:18,160 this past field season i also set forth 970 00:37:25,109 --> 00:37:19,839 the challenge to our team 971 00:37:26,710 --> 00:37:25,119 to allow us to do europa-like operations 972 00:37:28,870 --> 00:37:26,720 now of course the first 973 00:37:30,870 --> 00:37:28,880 step in doing a spacecraft observation 974 00:37:31,910 --> 00:37:30,880 operation is you've got to survive 975 00:37:36,790 --> 00:37:31,920 launch 976 00:37:38,630 --> 00:37:36,800 analogous to uh to being trailed behind 977 00:37:40,790 --> 00:37:38,640 a snow machine on the alaskan permafrost 978 00:37:45,430 --> 00:37:40,800 for about 20 kilometers 979 00:37:49,190 --> 00:37:47,430 coupled with that we wanted a very small 980 00:37:51,270 --> 00:37:49,200 system something that we could could fit 981 00:37:53,030 --> 00:37:51,280 on the back of a of a sled 982 00:37:54,550 --> 00:37:53,040 here we're doing initial deployment and 983 00:37:56,950 --> 00:37:54,560 checkout here's john 984 00:37:58,790 --> 00:37:56,960 you can see that we're on a tether right 985 00:38:01,030 --> 00:37:58,800 now 986 00:38:03,589 --> 00:38:01,040 and what we're eventually building up to 987 00:38:04,470 --> 00:38:03,599 that i'll show you in in a few moments 988 00:38:06,069 --> 00:38:04,480 is 989 00:38:08,550 --> 00:38:06,079 pulling that tether 990 00:38:11,990 --> 00:38:08,560 and operating the vehicle 991 00:38:14,069 --> 00:38:12,000 untethered underwater under ice 992 00:38:15,990 --> 00:38:14,079 via satellite link 993 00:38:18,870 --> 00:38:16,000 such that we could leave it there and go 994 00:38:22,150 --> 00:38:18,880 back to our nice warm quanza hut and and 995 00:38:26,310 --> 00:38:24,950 in short sleeves uh here's 996 00:38:29,349 --> 00:38:26,320 one of the lakes that's got a lot of 997 00:38:31,109 --> 00:38:29,359 methane bubbling out of it 998 00:38:32,790 --> 00:38:31,119 andy clash here is poking through the 999 00:38:33,829 --> 00:38:32,800 ice trying to make sure it's safe to 1000 00:38:36,390 --> 00:38:33,839 walk on 1001 00:38:38,150 --> 00:38:36,400 and we'll pan over to a few of the 1002 00:38:40,310 --> 00:38:38,160 open regions 1003 00:38:42,710 --> 00:38:40,320 that still have methane bubbling out of 1004 00:38:44,390 --> 00:38:42,720 them and as you see as we pan further 1005 00:38:47,109 --> 00:38:44,400 and further to the right 1006 00:38:49,510 --> 00:38:47,119 i'm actually standing on pretty thin ice 1007 00:38:51,589 --> 00:38:49,520 um and i've actually taken a dip into 1008 00:38:52,710 --> 00:38:51,599 this water not intentionally 1009 00:38:55,829 --> 00:38:52,720 um 1010 00:38:57,430 --> 00:38:55,839 and uh uh it's cold but we we come 1011 00:39:00,069 --> 00:38:57,440 prepared and we've got lots of backup 1012 00:39:01,910 --> 00:39:00,079 gear so you can see that the methane is 1013 00:39:03,750 --> 00:39:01,920 actively bubbling out 1014 00:39:05,829 --> 00:39:03,760 it's not hot it's just the kinetic 1015 00:39:07,109 --> 00:39:05,839 activity of the methane that maintains 1016 00:39:09,589 --> 00:39:07,119 the open water 1017 00:39:10,870 --> 00:39:09,599 and now we'll dive under the ice 1018 00:39:13,670 --> 00:39:10,880 and this time 1019 00:39:17,349 --> 00:39:13,680 the rover is operating untethered 1020 00:39:21,510 --> 00:39:19,829 and the bubbles that you see coming out 1021 00:39:24,390 --> 00:39:21,520 those are methane bubbles and the 1022 00:39:25,430 --> 00:39:24,400 bubbles that are trapped in the ice 1023 00:39:28,470 --> 00:39:25,440 are 1024 00:39:29,910 --> 00:39:28,480 that's methane that that's being 1025 00:39:31,910 --> 00:39:29,920 encapsulated 1026 00:39:33,990 --> 00:39:31,920 in the ice as the ice thickens 1027 00:39:36,630 --> 00:39:34,000 throughout the the season 1028 00:39:39,270 --> 00:39:36,640 and so we've just begun to uh to make 1029 00:39:41,430 --> 00:39:39,280 this a platform that can survive for 1030 00:39:44,470 --> 00:39:41,440 long periods of time under the ice this 1031 00:39:45,270 --> 00:39:44,480 past field season we left it out there 1032 00:39:47,829 --> 00:39:45,280 for 1033 00:39:49,990 --> 00:39:47,839 two periods of about 30 hours 1034 00:39:51,829 --> 00:39:50,000 and john and andy and dan were able to 1035 00:39:52,790 --> 00:39:51,839 actually hand over control 1036 00:39:56,950 --> 00:39:52,800 to 1037 00:39:58,630 --> 00:39:56,960 via satellite link while it was under 1038 00:40:00,870 --> 00:39:58,640 the ice 1039 00:40:02,870 --> 00:40:00,880 this is what the rover sees 1040 00:40:03,990 --> 00:40:02,880 we'll take a dive 1041 00:40:07,670 --> 00:40:04,000 uh 1042 00:40:09,270 --> 00:40:07,680 into the lake this is an alaskan sunrise 1043 00:40:12,150 --> 00:40:09,280 the sun doesn't get much higher in the 1044 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:16,710 we'll go over the little hole here 1045 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:24,309 and i think you can hear it 1046 00:40:27,270 --> 00:40:25,190 in 1047 00:40:29,109 --> 00:40:27,280 and there you can see the uh 1048 00:40:31,030 --> 00:40:29,119 the rover vision 1049 00:40:32,710 --> 00:40:31,040 that allows us to examine the 1050 00:40:35,670 --> 00:40:32,720 the lake floor 1051 00:40:36,630 --> 00:40:35,680 and uh the ice water interface 1052 00:40:38,870 --> 00:40:36,640 and so 1053 00:40:41,750 --> 00:40:38,880 when we get to a spot that we then want 1054 00:40:43,270 --> 00:40:41,760 to do sampling and scientific analyses 1055 00:40:45,910 --> 00:40:43,280 we can leave the rover there without 1056 00:40:48,550 --> 00:40:45,920 expending excess battery power 1057 00:40:50,630 --> 00:40:48,560 and that potentially means that we can 1058 00:40:56,550 --> 00:40:50,640 leave it out there for a full winter 1059 00:40:59,910 --> 00:40:58,630 and as i mentioned we were able to to uh 1060 00:41:02,230 --> 00:40:59,920 to operate it 1061 00:41:03,990 --> 00:41:02,240 both from the kwanzaa hut and from jpl 1062 00:41:05,750 --> 00:41:04,000 now what i showed you it looked like fun 1063 00:41:07,430 --> 00:41:05,760 it looked nice and everything just to 1064 00:41:09,109 --> 00:41:07,440 emphasize uh um 1065 00:41:10,150 --> 00:41:09,119 there are many days that are not fun up 1066 00:41:11,349 --> 00:41:10,160 there 1067 00:41:13,190 --> 00:41:11,359 and in fact 1068 00:41:15,349 --> 00:41:13,200 on the the second deployment of our 1069 00:41:18,069 --> 00:41:15,359 rover we went out there and a huge storm 1070 00:41:19,589 --> 00:41:18,079 had rolled in it had blown down one of 1071 00:41:21,510 --> 00:41:19,599 our tents 1072 00:41:23,430 --> 00:41:21,520 and recovering the rover actually turned 1073 00:41:26,069 --> 00:41:23,440 out to be a bit of a challenge 1074 00:41:27,589 --> 00:41:26,079 because so much snow had had filled in 1075 00:41:29,030 --> 00:41:27,599 over the ice but eventually we were able 1076 00:41:31,030 --> 00:41:29,040 to get it out 1077 00:41:33,109 --> 00:41:31,040 and a national geographic photographer 1078 00:41:34,870 --> 00:41:33,119 mark thiessen was up there with us and 1079 00:41:38,069 --> 00:41:34,880 captured these beautiful images with a 1080 00:41:38,950 --> 00:41:38,079 with a camera on a stick uh showing 1081 00:41:41,030 --> 00:41:38,960 um 1082 00:41:42,790 --> 00:41:41,040 the rover in action 1083 00:41:46,390 --> 00:41:42,800 so we've gone to some place cold we've 1084 00:41:48,870 --> 00:41:46,400 gone to some place cold and wet and dark 1085 00:41:50,550 --> 00:41:48,880 next i'd like to bring you to 1086 00:41:53,510 --> 00:41:50,560 deep places 1087 00:41:54,710 --> 00:41:53,520 in our ocean places that are comparable 1088 00:41:58,630 --> 00:41:54,720 in pressure 1089 00:42:02,870 --> 00:41:58,640 to uh the the pressures that life within 1090 00:42:04,790 --> 00:42:02,880 a an ocean of europa might experience 1091 00:42:07,990 --> 00:42:04,800 and i was fortunate enough to be a part 1092 00:42:09,750 --> 00:42:08,000 of an expedition out to both the 1093 00:42:10,630 --> 00:42:09,760 mid-atlantic ridge and the east pacific 1094 00:42:13,190 --> 00:42:10,640 rise 1095 00:42:14,870 --> 00:42:13,200 to explore hydrothermal vents this was a 1096 00:42:17,190 --> 00:42:14,880 part of an imax 1097 00:42:19,430 --> 00:42:17,200 project spearheaded by james cameron in 1098 00:42:23,589 --> 00:42:19,440 disney we're on the russian research 1099 00:42:25,270 --> 00:42:23,599 vessel vessel the kaldish which has two 1100 00:42:27,109 --> 00:42:25,280 deep ocean submersibles that can each 1101 00:42:29,030 --> 00:42:27,119 carry three people 1102 00:42:31,190 --> 00:42:29,040 and these can go 1103 00:42:32,550 --> 00:42:31,200 to nearly six kilometers or more in 1104 00:42:34,870 --> 00:42:32,560 depth 1105 00:42:36,550 --> 00:42:34,880 i got to make a number of dives 1106 00:42:37,670 --> 00:42:36,560 and in some cases 1107 00:42:40,309 --> 00:42:37,680 we had 1108 00:42:41,829 --> 00:42:40,319 an additional acrylic sphere 1109 00:42:44,069 --> 00:42:41,839 rover with us we actually had two of 1110 00:42:45,430 --> 00:42:44,079 these and we made dives on some of these 1111 00:42:48,390 --> 00:42:45,440 sites with 1112 00:42:50,069 --> 00:42:48,400 two three and even four submersibles at 1113 00:42:50,870 --> 00:42:50,079 a time 1114 00:42:53,190 --> 00:42:50,880 and 1115 00:42:55,670 --> 00:42:53,200 part of what we are studying are these 1116 00:42:56,710 --> 00:42:55,680 hydrothermal vent ecosystems ecosystems 1117 00:42:59,910 --> 00:42:56,720 on earth 1118 00:43:01,750 --> 00:42:59,920 that revolutionized our understanding of 1119 00:43:03,829 --> 00:43:01,760 the habitability of our own planet these 1120 00:43:05,990 --> 00:43:03,839 were discovered back in the spring of 1121 00:43:08,550 --> 00:43:06,000 1977 not long 1122 00:43:09,670 --> 00:43:08,560 after viking had set down on the surface 1123 00:43:12,550 --> 00:43:09,680 of mars 1124 00:43:13,990 --> 00:43:12,560 no one really expected that these 1125 00:43:16,309 --> 00:43:14,000 hydrothermal vent 1126 00:43:18,390 --> 00:43:16,319 systems would be anything more than 1127 00:43:21,270 --> 00:43:18,400 geological curiosities 1128 00:43:23,030 --> 00:43:21,280 but in fact they turned out to be 1129 00:43:25,190 --> 00:43:23,040 oases for life 1130 00:43:27,430 --> 00:43:25,200 they were not just 1131 00:43:28,309 --> 00:43:27,440 regions where microbes were eking out a 1132 00:43:30,069 --> 00:43:28,319 living 1133 00:43:33,589 --> 00:43:30,079 there were places where 1134 00:43:36,390 --> 00:43:33,599 microbes utilizing chemosynthesis 1135 00:43:38,309 --> 00:43:36,400 formed the foundation of a complex food 1136 00:43:39,510 --> 00:43:38,319 chain consisting 1137 00:43:43,109 --> 00:43:39,520 of 1138 00:43:45,829 --> 00:43:43,119 shrimp and tube worms and and mussels uh 1139 00:43:47,589 --> 00:43:45,839 and crabs and so here all of the white 1140 00:43:50,309 --> 00:43:47,599 material that you're seeing 1141 00:43:52,630 --> 00:43:50,319 those are microbes that are utilizing 1142 00:43:55,510 --> 00:43:52,640 the chemistry of the hydrothermal vents 1143 00:43:56,630 --> 00:43:55,520 to do this process of chemosynthesis 1144 00:43:58,550 --> 00:43:56,640 functioning 1145 00:44:00,950 --> 00:43:58,560 with that chemosynthetic metabolic 1146 00:44:03,510 --> 00:44:00,960 pathway as opposed to photosynthesis 1147 00:44:06,309 --> 00:44:03,520 which of course requires the sun 1148 00:44:08,550 --> 00:44:06,319 but a site like this 1149 00:44:09,349 --> 00:44:08,560 requires active 1150 00:44:12,230 --> 00:44:09,359 um 1151 00:44:15,910 --> 00:44:12,240 creation of new seafloor we also went to 1152 00:44:18,790 --> 00:44:15,920 a region known as lost city shown here 1153 00:44:20,309 --> 00:44:18,800 this is a region that is off axis from 1154 00:44:21,430 --> 00:44:20,319 the spreading centers 1155 00:44:26,309 --> 00:44:21,440 and 1156 00:44:27,190 --> 00:44:26,319 particular type of hydrothermal vent 1157 00:44:29,349 --> 00:44:27,200 is that 1158 00:44:32,390 --> 00:44:29,359 it's not powered 1159 00:44:35,349 --> 00:44:32,400 by heat transferred from the mantle it's 1160 00:44:37,270 --> 00:44:35,359 powered by an exothermic reaction called 1161 00:44:39,589 --> 00:44:37,280 serpentinization 1162 00:44:43,349 --> 00:44:39,599 wherein 1163 00:44:46,710 --> 00:44:43,359 ultramafic rock rock from the mantle 1164 00:44:48,550 --> 00:44:46,720 is exposed to ocean water and drives a 1165 00:44:51,030 --> 00:44:48,560 chemical reaction 1166 00:44:53,030 --> 00:44:51,040 that's exothermic i.e sort of similar to 1167 00:44:56,790 --> 00:44:53,040 like taking a hand warmer and shaking it 1168 00:44:57,829 --> 00:44:56,800 up and that leads to this this diffuse 1169 00:44:59,589 --> 00:44:57,839 venting 1170 00:45:02,470 --> 00:44:59,599 and precipitation of things like 1171 00:45:04,230 --> 00:45:02,480 carbonate and it's around these sites 1172 00:45:06,230 --> 00:45:04,240 though it doesn't look quite as 1173 00:45:07,750 --> 00:45:06,240 biologically active there are many 1174 00:45:08,870 --> 00:45:07,760 microbial mats 1175 00:45:10,230 --> 00:45:08,880 um 1176 00:45:12,710 --> 00:45:10,240 thriving here 1177 00:45:14,550 --> 00:45:12,720 and one of the most profound creatures 1178 00:45:17,589 --> 00:45:14,560 that that i've ever seen on on our 1179 00:45:19,589 --> 00:45:17,599 planet this creature 1180 00:45:21,349 --> 00:45:19,599 large tenoforce spanning about a meter 1181 00:45:24,230 --> 00:45:21,359 and a half to two meters 1182 00:45:26,630 --> 00:45:24,240 this creature was just swimming around 1183 00:45:28,309 --> 00:45:26,640 that chimney that i just showed you 1184 00:45:29,109 --> 00:45:28,319 and an interesting little little story 1185 00:45:30,390 --> 00:45:29,119 here 1186 00:45:32,550 --> 00:45:30,400 um 1187 00:45:36,069 --> 00:45:32,560 the uh 1188 00:45:41,109 --> 00:45:38,630 i went down on this dive in one of those 1189 00:45:43,270 --> 00:45:41,119 those acrylic spheres 1190 00:45:44,150 --> 00:45:43,280 and got down to the bottom of the ocean 1191 00:45:46,550 --> 00:45:44,160 um 1192 00:45:47,910 --> 00:45:46,560 and started to collect some samples 1193 00:45:48,870 --> 00:45:47,920 and we're communicating with the other 1194 00:45:50,710 --> 00:45:48,880 subs 1195 00:45:52,470 --> 00:45:50,720 and james cameron was in the other 1196 00:45:54,390 --> 00:45:52,480 acrylic sphere 1197 00:45:56,069 --> 00:45:54,400 and they had not caught up with us so so 1198 00:45:57,190 --> 00:45:56,079 we radioed up to them and we said well 1199 00:46:04,710 --> 00:45:57,200 what's 1200 00:46:05,510 --> 00:46:04,720 uh we acoustically transponded uh to to 1201 00:46:07,589 --> 00:46:05,520 uh 1202 00:46:09,750 --> 00:46:07,599 to the other submersible and it's a real 1203 00:46:10,870 --> 00:46:09,760 choppy communication uh so it's hard to 1204 00:46:13,109 --> 00:46:10,880 make things out 1205 00:46:15,270 --> 00:46:13,119 but we get uh a communication back 1206 00:46:17,030 --> 00:46:15,280 saying oh yeah yeah we're we've run into 1207 00:46:18,630 --> 00:46:17,040 a little bit of trouble uh don't worry 1208 00:46:20,230 --> 00:46:18,640 we'll be down there at the bottom of the 1209 00:46:21,190 --> 00:46:20,240 ocean in five minutes 1210 00:46:22,870 --> 00:46:21,200 so 1211 00:46:24,550 --> 00:46:22,880 we keep on sampling and it's about that 1212 00:46:25,910 --> 00:46:24,560 time that i discovered this creature 1213 00:46:27,750 --> 00:46:25,920 because i was picking up a sample and i 1214 00:46:30,309 --> 00:46:27,760 turned the rover a little bit and there 1215 00:46:32,710 --> 00:46:30,319 was this this astonishing space bagel as 1216 00:46:35,750 --> 00:46:32,720 we first called it 1217 00:46:37,829 --> 00:46:35,760 and so we called back up to to uh 1218 00:46:39,510 --> 00:46:37,839 to cameron and to paul the the pilot 1219 00:46:40,790 --> 00:46:39,520 that was with him we said you guys gotta 1220 00:46:42,390 --> 00:46:40,800 gotta get down here you won't believe 1221 00:46:44,390 --> 00:46:42,400 what we're looking at 1222 00:46:48,390 --> 00:46:44,400 they said oh yeah we're we're coming uh 1223 00:46:50,710 --> 00:46:49,589 and uh 1224 00:46:54,309 --> 00:46:50,720 and of course the last thing that you 1225 00:46:55,349 --> 00:46:54,319 want to hear uh uh when from your your 1226 00:46:57,109 --> 00:46:55,359 friends and colleagues that are in a 1227 00:46:59,670 --> 00:46:57,119 submersible is that there's a leak in 1228 00:47:03,109 --> 00:47:01,270 and so we said are you sure you don't 1229 00:47:08,550 --> 00:47:03,119 want a surface and they said no no no we 1230 00:47:14,390 --> 00:47:12,630 now there actually is some logic to that 1231 00:47:16,950 --> 00:47:14,400 because the way that these submersibles 1232 00:47:17,990 --> 00:47:16,960 work these particular submersibles work 1233 00:47:19,670 --> 00:47:18,000 is that 1234 00:47:21,910 --> 00:47:19,680 you get in from below 1235 00:47:22,870 --> 00:47:21,920 and there's a cork like plug in the 1236 00:47:24,950 --> 00:47:22,880 bottom 1237 00:47:27,270 --> 00:47:24,960 and as you drop further down in the 1238 00:47:28,150 --> 00:47:27,280 ocean the pressure increases and the 1239 00:47:29,670 --> 00:47:28,160 force 1240 00:47:31,349 --> 00:47:29,680 pushing on that plug 1241 00:47:33,270 --> 00:47:31,359 creates a tighter and tighter tighter 1242 00:47:35,510 --> 00:47:33,280 seal and so they said yeah we'll just 1243 00:47:37,510 --> 00:47:35,520 keep on going down and that'll 1244 00:47:38,790 --> 00:47:37,520 improve the seal 1245 00:47:40,549 --> 00:47:38,800 and sure enough they got down to the 1246 00:47:43,750 --> 00:47:40,559 bottom 1247 00:47:45,670 --> 00:47:43,760 and the leak persisted 1248 00:47:46,950 --> 00:47:45,680 but but they didn't die 1249 00:47:48,790 --> 00:47:46,960 and 1250 00:47:50,470 --> 00:47:48,800 in fact 1251 00:47:53,109 --> 00:47:50,480 cameron was able to 1252 00:47:55,109 --> 00:47:53,119 recover this astonishing footage 1253 00:47:56,150 --> 00:47:55,119 of this creature in action 1254 00:47:58,150 --> 00:47:56,160 um 1255 00:48:00,470 --> 00:47:58,160 arguably one of the most bizarre and 1256 00:48:01,349 --> 00:48:00,480 beautiful life forms that that i've ever 1257 00:48:02,150 --> 00:48:01,359 had the 1258 00:48:05,190 --> 00:48:02,160 uh 1259 00:48:08,630 --> 00:48:05,200 the the um 1260 00:48:10,390 --> 00:48:08,640 uh a great chance to experience 1261 00:48:12,630 --> 00:48:10,400 but okay so these hydrothermal vents 1262 00:48:15,670 --> 00:48:12,640 these are great um but to be honest 1263 00:48:16,549 --> 00:48:15,680 they're not that europa-like um 1264 00:48:18,069 --> 00:48:16,559 this 1265 00:48:20,950 --> 00:48:18,079 the depths that were 1266 00:48:23,430 --> 00:48:20,960 that i've been showing you are three to 1267 00:48:25,589 --> 00:48:23,440 four kilometers uh lost cities at about 1268 00:48:27,829 --> 00:48:25,599 a kilometer depth 1269 00:48:30,950 --> 00:48:27,839 the pressures in these regions is 1270 00:48:31,990 --> 00:48:30,960 equivalent to maybe 10 to 20 kilometers 1271 00:48:34,630 --> 00:48:32,000 or so 1272 00:48:36,870 --> 00:48:34,640 perhaps as much as 30 kilometers below 1273 00:48:40,470 --> 00:48:36,880 the surface of europa and we think that 1274 00:48:42,470 --> 00:48:40,480 the sea floor of europa may well be 100 1275 00:48:44,069 --> 00:48:42,480 kilometers or so down 1276 00:48:46,230 --> 00:48:44,079 to get to 1277 00:48:47,190 --> 00:48:46,240 pressures comparable 1278 00:48:48,630 --> 00:48:47,200 to 1279 00:48:50,710 --> 00:48:48,640 those depths 1280 00:48:52,870 --> 00:48:50,720 you need to go 1281 00:48:55,990 --> 00:48:52,880 here to the mariana trench to the 1282 00:48:59,589 --> 00:48:56,000 challenger deep region of our ocean 1283 00:49:02,790 --> 00:48:59,599 a region where our ocean gets down to 11 1284 00:49:04,790 --> 00:49:02,800 kilometers and i um was part of an 1285 00:49:07,510 --> 00:49:04,800 expedition to go back out to the 1286 00:49:08,710 --> 00:49:07,520 challenger deep uh james cameron made 1287 00:49:10,870 --> 00:49:08,720 the dive 1288 00:49:13,430 --> 00:49:10,880 back to this deepest depth and we also 1289 00:49:15,349 --> 00:49:13,440 had a few robotic landers that that we 1290 00:49:17,589 --> 00:49:15,359 dropped along with the uh human 1291 00:49:19,670 --> 00:49:17,599 submersible 1292 00:49:21,430 --> 00:49:19,680 unlike the previous expedition i did not 1293 00:49:22,309 --> 00:49:21,440 get to go down to the bottom of mariana 1294 00:49:23,750 --> 00:49:22,319 trench 1295 00:49:28,710 --> 00:49:23,760 so when people ask me what it looked 1296 00:49:31,829 --> 00:49:30,790 pretty much like any other spot on the 1297 00:49:34,069 --> 00:49:31,839 ocean 1298 00:49:38,230 --> 00:49:34,079 uh and you may have seen lots of uh 1299 00:49:39,910 --> 00:49:38,240 pictures and and and video uh of uh 1300 00:49:42,950 --> 00:49:39,920 of this expedition 1301 00:49:43,990 --> 00:49:42,960 an incredible engineering achievement 1302 00:49:46,950 --> 00:49:44,000 this 1303 00:49:48,630 --> 00:49:46,960 the human submersible 1304 00:49:50,150 --> 00:49:48,640 is a vertical 1305 00:49:51,750 --> 00:49:50,160 dropping 1306 00:49:53,430 --> 00:49:51,760 torpedo 1307 00:49:55,190 --> 00:49:53,440 it goes in horizontally like this and 1308 00:49:56,630 --> 00:49:55,200 i'll show you in a few slides what it 1309 00:49:58,710 --> 00:49:56,640 looked like as it was dropping through 1310 00:49:59,990 --> 00:49:58,720 the ocean as i mentioned i didn't get to 1311 00:50:02,790 --> 00:50:00,000 get uh 1312 00:50:04,470 --> 00:50:02,800 go on a trip in it uh 1313 00:50:06,870 --> 00:50:04,480 james cameron was the only one that made 1314 00:50:10,950 --> 00:50:06,880 the dive to the bottom of the ocean uh 1315 00:50:13,430 --> 00:50:10,960 and uh and and quite a spectacular feat 1316 00:50:14,790 --> 00:50:13,440 the the integration and testing of this 1317 00:50:18,390 --> 00:50:14,800 submersible 1318 00:50:20,309 --> 00:50:18,400 took place in a time frame of months 1319 00:50:21,990 --> 00:50:20,319 cameron had been planning it and and had 1320 00:50:24,230 --> 00:50:22,000 a small core team 1321 00:50:25,349 --> 00:50:24,240 that made some of the key features over 1322 00:50:27,829 --> 00:50:25,359 the course of 1323 00:50:30,950 --> 00:50:27,839 of roughly five or so years 1324 00:50:34,150 --> 00:50:30,960 but really the integration and testing 1325 00:50:39,589 --> 00:50:37,829 roughly october to november of 2011 1326 00:50:42,710 --> 00:50:39,599 and the big dive 1327 00:50:45,109 --> 00:50:42,720 was done near the end of march in 2012. 1328 00:50:47,270 --> 00:50:45,119 um i won't go into it tonight but at 1329 00:50:49,510 --> 00:50:47,280 some point we'll have that team here to 1330 00:50:51,510 --> 00:50:49,520 talk about systems engineering 1331 00:50:56,230 --> 00:50:51,520 in a very tight time frame because uh it 1332 00:50:58,710 --> 00:50:57,829 the 1333 00:51:00,710 --> 00:50:58,720 so 1334 00:51:03,190 --> 00:51:00,720 cameron came back alive on on the human 1335 00:51:05,829 --> 00:51:03,200 exploration side uh that that was great 1336 00:51:07,829 --> 00:51:05,839 everybody breathed a huge sigh of relief 1337 00:51:09,829 --> 00:51:07,839 but a little bit of an anecdote for you 1338 00:51:11,030 --> 00:51:09,839 um 1339 00:51:14,150 --> 00:51:11,040 though 1340 00:51:16,549 --> 00:51:14,160 everything went off without a hitch 1341 00:51:18,069 --> 00:51:16,559 the team had planned on doing the big 1342 00:51:19,589 --> 00:51:18,079 dive 1343 00:51:21,990 --> 00:51:19,599 towards the end of january if not 1344 00:51:23,990 --> 00:51:22,000 january then certainly in february and 1345 00:51:25,670 --> 00:51:24,000 if not in february than sometime in in 1346 00:51:28,150 --> 00:51:25,680 early march 1347 00:51:31,349 --> 00:51:28,160 but with weather and a few things a few 1348 00:51:36,150 --> 00:51:34,150 those dates slipped and when we started 1349 00:51:39,030 --> 00:51:36,160 out the expedition 1350 00:51:40,150 --> 00:51:39,040 there was one date that cameron could 1351 00:51:41,589 --> 00:51:40,160 not 1352 00:51:44,710 --> 00:51:41,599 um 1353 00:51:47,349 --> 00:51:44,720 miss and that was that he had to be 1354 00:51:49,750 --> 00:51:47,359 in london walking the red carpet on i 1355 00:51:54,150 --> 00:51:49,760 think it was march 27th 1356 00:51:56,790 --> 00:51:54,160 for the re-release of titanic 3d 1357 00:51:58,390 --> 00:51:56,800 and this was this was some contract that 1358 00:51:59,990 --> 00:51:58,400 he had signed in blood that he would be 1359 00:52:02,950 --> 00:52:00,000 there 1360 00:52:04,470 --> 00:52:02,960 and lo and behold with uh with some of 1361 00:52:05,910 --> 00:52:04,480 the delays due to weather and other 1362 00:52:07,910 --> 00:52:05,920 things 1363 00:52:10,790 --> 00:52:07,920 we found ourselves 1364 00:52:15,270 --> 00:52:10,800 on sunday night march 25th 1365 00:52:20,950 --> 00:52:17,670 and jim had to be in london less than 48 1366 00:52:25,270 --> 00:52:23,750 but thankfully on monday morning the the 1367 00:52:28,950 --> 00:52:25,280 seas were calm 1368 00:52:31,270 --> 00:52:28,960 and we're able to to deploy the sub 1369 00:52:32,630 --> 00:52:31,280 it took about 1370 00:52:33,589 --> 00:52:32,640 less than four hours to get to the 1371 00:52:35,510 --> 00:52:33,599 bottom 1372 00:52:38,390 --> 00:52:35,520 the the torpedo just dropped straight 1373 00:52:39,349 --> 00:52:38,400 down he was then able to traverse 1374 00:52:41,030 --> 00:52:39,359 along 1375 00:52:42,870 --> 00:52:41,040 the challenger deep for a few hours and 1376 00:52:44,470 --> 00:52:42,880 then come back up 1377 00:52:47,030 --> 00:52:44,480 but of course 1378 00:52:48,870 --> 00:52:47,040 by that time it was late on monday and 1379 00:52:50,710 --> 00:52:48,880 he still had to get 1380 00:52:53,829 --> 00:52:50,720 to london 1381 00:52:55,910 --> 00:52:53,839 now this is where um 1382 00:52:57,430 --> 00:52:55,920 i started to appreciate 1383 00:53:00,390 --> 00:52:57,440 the 1384 00:53:03,510 --> 00:53:00,400 dividing line between um life as a 1385 00:53:05,430 --> 00:53:03,520 scientist and and and life as a 1386 00:53:08,470 --> 00:53:05,440 bazillionaire hollywood uh director 1387 00:53:09,990 --> 00:53:08,480 producer etc as if it hadn't been clear 1388 00:53:10,870 --> 00:53:10,000 before 1389 00:53:12,630 --> 00:53:10,880 uh 1390 00:53:14,309 --> 00:53:12,640 so we're all kind of like how how is how 1391 00:53:16,470 --> 00:53:14,319 is jim gonna going to make this this 1392 00:53:18,710 --> 00:53:16,480 trip when we got back out to the mariana 1393 00:53:20,710 --> 00:53:18,720 trench after doing some repairs we 1394 00:53:22,710 --> 00:53:20,720 noticed this ship on the horizon which 1395 00:53:23,910 --> 00:53:22,720 looked quite small at first but as we 1396 00:53:26,150 --> 00:53:23,920 got closer 1397 00:53:27,190 --> 00:53:26,160 we saw that in fact 1398 00:53:30,309 --> 00:53:27,200 it was a 1399 00:53:33,589 --> 00:53:31,670 and um 1400 00:53:35,030 --> 00:53:33,599 it turns out that this is paul allen's 1401 00:53:35,910 --> 00:53:35,040 yacht 1402 00:53:37,430 --> 00:53:35,920 and 1403 00:53:39,349 --> 00:53:37,440 apparently this is one of the fastest 1404 00:53:41,270 --> 00:53:39,359 yachts on the planet 1405 00:53:42,790 --> 00:53:41,280 and so 1406 00:53:43,750 --> 00:53:42,800 cameron needed to get from point a to 1407 00:53:46,390 --> 00:53:43,760 point b 1408 00:53:47,589 --> 00:53:46,400 and uh he was called up paul allen and 1409 00:53:49,670 --> 00:53:47,599 said hey paul i'm going to be making a 1410 00:53:51,510 --> 00:53:49,680 dive to the deepest depths of our ocean 1411 00:53:53,270 --> 00:53:51,520 want to come out check it out and then 1412 00:53:55,990 --> 00:53:53,280 and then help me get to guam where i can 1413 00:53:58,390 --> 00:53:56,000 catch a plane and head on from from guam 1414 00:54:00,309 --> 00:53:58,400 to uh through russia and on to london 1415 00:54:02,230 --> 00:54:00,319 uh and sure enough he made it to the red 1416 00:54:04,150 --> 00:54:02,240 carpet just in the nick of time 1417 00:54:07,670 --> 00:54:04,160 and uh paramount or whoever it was was 1418 00:54:11,510 --> 00:54:07,680 happy uh and and he lived you know the 1419 00:54:13,510 --> 00:54:11,520 the story had a happy ending now um 1420 00:54:15,750 --> 00:54:13,520 again just to be clear so that's the uh 1421 00:54:17,829 --> 00:54:15,760 that's the the yacht that paul allen had 1422 00:54:24,150 --> 00:54:17,839 and the the fancy hollywood stuff 1423 00:54:27,750 --> 00:54:26,309 a lovely little vessel called uh the 1424 00:54:29,030 --> 00:54:27,760 barracuda 1425 00:54:30,549 --> 00:54:29,040 um 1426 00:54:32,470 --> 00:54:30,559 and uh and 1427 00:54:34,549 --> 00:54:32,480 so it was it was a fine place to call 1428 00:54:36,870 --> 00:54:34,559 home for for for many weeks 1429 00:54:39,030 --> 00:54:36,880 uh just to show you the the 1430 00:54:40,390 --> 00:54:39,040 human submersible on the bottom 1431 00:54:42,870 --> 00:54:40,400 there it is and it's it's sort of 1432 00:54:45,829 --> 00:54:42,880 vertical position uh and what's taking 1433 00:54:48,150 --> 00:54:45,839 the picture in this particular image 1434 00:54:50,870 --> 00:54:48,160 are these robotic landers that were 1435 00:54:53,109 --> 00:54:50,880 built um down at scripps uh spearheaded 1436 00:54:53,990 --> 00:54:53,119 by kevin hardy a a wonderful engineer 1437 00:54:56,470 --> 00:54:54,000 down there 1438 00:54:58,710 --> 00:54:56,480 uh and and overseen by doug bartlett the 1439 00:55:01,910 --> 00:54:58,720 chief scientist of the expedition 1440 00:55:04,789 --> 00:55:01,920 and these are telephone booth size 1441 00:55:07,030 --> 00:55:04,799 vehicles that just drop down through the 1442 00:55:09,670 --> 00:55:07,040 ocean and when they get down there they 1443 00:55:11,430 --> 00:55:09,680 deploy that arm that you see on the side 1444 00:55:13,829 --> 00:55:11,440 in the in the middle picture 1445 00:55:15,510 --> 00:55:13,839 and that arm has got a water sampling 1446 00:55:18,710 --> 00:55:15,520 device and and there are cameras on 1447 00:55:22,390 --> 00:55:18,720 board uh and sediment cores and various 1448 00:55:24,069 --> 00:55:22,400 traps to to try and attract creatures 1449 00:55:25,349 --> 00:55:24,079 and so we deployed these on the 1450 00:55:27,030 --> 00:55:25,359 challenger deep and one of the great 1451 00:55:29,190 --> 00:55:27,040 advantages of these is that you can 1452 00:55:31,990 --> 00:55:29,200 leave them down there for a long time 1453 00:55:33,270 --> 00:55:32,000 and what i'm showing you here 1454 00:55:35,190 --> 00:55:33,280 is 1455 00:55:38,150 --> 00:55:35,200 video footage 1456 00:55:40,789 --> 00:55:38,160 from the deepest depths of our ocean the 1457 00:55:42,549 --> 00:55:40,799 challenger deep a depth of greater than 1458 00:55:44,870 --> 00:55:42,559 11 kilometers 1459 00:55:47,190 --> 00:55:44,880 and the this is the what you're seeing 1460 00:55:49,589 --> 00:55:47,200 in the foreground here is that robotic 1461 00:55:51,910 --> 00:55:49,599 arm the the water sampling device 1462 00:55:54,470 --> 00:55:51,920 and there's a fish head in the net there 1463 00:55:55,829 --> 00:55:54,480 and after several hours of just 1464 00:55:56,630 --> 00:55:55,839 observing 1465 00:55:58,870 --> 00:55:56,640 this 1466 00:56:02,549 --> 00:55:58,880 fish head trapped in the net 1467 00:56:05,030 --> 00:56:02,559 what we observed are all of these 1468 00:56:07,910 --> 00:56:05,040 shrimp-like amphipods 1469 00:56:11,030 --> 00:56:07,920 collecting around the trap feeding 1470 00:56:13,670 --> 00:56:11,040 on the bait that we had left there 1471 00:56:16,630 --> 00:56:13,680 and this is astonishing 1472 00:56:17,589 --> 00:56:16,640 not only is the deepest depth of our 1473 00:56:19,670 --> 00:56:17,599 ocean 1474 00:56:22,710 --> 00:56:19,680 a place where you might have simple life 1475 00:56:26,470 --> 00:56:22,720 forms but it's a place where complex 1476 00:56:29,030 --> 00:56:26,480 multicellular life forms like these 1477 00:56:30,710 --> 00:56:29,040 exist and thrive 1478 00:56:32,870 --> 00:56:30,720 taking a close-up look at these this 1479 00:56:35,430 --> 00:56:32,880 this is what they look like 1480 00:56:37,030 --> 00:56:35,440 not the prettiest of creatures 1481 00:56:38,470 --> 00:56:37,040 and somebody in the audience always 1482 00:56:39,670 --> 00:56:38,480 wants to know well what did they taste 1483 00:56:41,670 --> 00:56:39,680 like 1484 00:56:43,270 --> 00:56:41,680 uh and sure enough 1485 00:56:44,950 --> 00:56:43,280 one of the ship hands grabbed one of 1486 00:56:46,150 --> 00:56:44,960 these and popped it into his mouth and 1487 00:56:48,390 --> 00:56:46,160 ate it 1488 00:56:49,910 --> 00:56:48,400 and subsequently uh ran to the side of 1489 00:56:53,670 --> 00:56:49,920 the boat and 1490 00:56:57,109 --> 00:56:53,680 and returned the creature to the ocean 1491 00:57:00,390 --> 00:56:58,630 but okay so that that video from the 1492 00:57:02,309 --> 00:57:00,400 challenger deep uh astonishing these 1493 00:57:03,430 --> 00:57:02,319 these these complex creatures thriving 1494 00:57:06,150 --> 00:57:03,440 down there 1495 00:57:07,670 --> 00:57:06,160 but as i as i showed we we had a bait 1496 00:57:09,670 --> 00:57:07,680 trap out there and so those creatures 1497 00:57:11,589 --> 00:57:09,680 were attracted by that food 1498 00:57:13,589 --> 00:57:11,599 what do they eat when when there's no 1499 00:57:15,109 --> 00:57:13,599 fish head around what is driving that 1500 00:57:16,710 --> 00:57:15,119 ecosystem 1501 00:57:18,950 --> 00:57:16,720 we were not really able to answer that 1502 00:57:21,270 --> 00:57:18,960 question with with the uh the 1503 00:57:23,829 --> 00:57:21,280 drop in the challenge deep but when we 1504 00:57:26,630 --> 00:57:23,839 made a drop of the robotic landers in an 1505 00:57:28,549 --> 00:57:26,640 area just a little bit to the north east 1506 00:57:30,630 --> 00:57:28,559 of the of the challenger deep in a 1507 00:57:34,309 --> 00:57:30,640 region called the cyrena deep 1508 00:57:35,670 --> 00:57:34,319 we saw a uh quite a spectacular sight 1509 00:57:38,470 --> 00:57:35,680 in this video what you'll see is the 1510 00:57:41,750 --> 00:57:38,480 robotic arm drop 1511 00:57:43,349 --> 00:57:41,760 it'll hit the sea floor 1512 00:57:44,630 --> 00:57:43,359 and 1513 00:57:47,349 --> 00:57:44,640 dust up 1514 00:57:49,510 --> 00:57:47,359 a big old cloud and you can see 1515 00:57:53,750 --> 00:57:49,520 right away in the background there 1516 00:57:55,109 --> 00:57:53,760 is a geologist and scientists dream 1517 00:57:57,270 --> 00:57:55,119 outcrop 1518 00:57:58,870 --> 00:57:57,280 and those of you that have been part of 1519 00:58:01,109 --> 00:57:58,880 the part of the mars missions know of 1520 00:58:02,150 --> 00:58:01,119 course that scientists go crazy for 1521 00:58:03,990 --> 00:58:02,160 outcrop 1522 00:58:06,069 --> 00:58:04,000 because it actually gives us some 1523 00:58:09,270 --> 00:58:06,079 geological context for what's actually 1524 00:58:11,270 --> 00:58:09,280 going on in the environment and so when 1525 00:58:14,309 --> 00:58:11,280 we got the uh the footage back and we're 1526 00:58:16,710 --> 00:58:14,319 able to piece together the images 1527 00:58:19,109 --> 00:58:16,720 this is what we saw uh in all of the 1528 00:58:21,030 --> 00:58:19,119 other regions in the mariana trench 1529 00:58:23,109 --> 00:58:21,040 for the most part all that had been seen 1530 00:58:25,190 --> 00:58:23,119 are just these sediment beds 1531 00:58:27,750 --> 00:58:25,200 no actual 1532 00:58:30,309 --> 00:58:27,760 indigenous rocks that we could then 1533 00:58:32,789 --> 00:58:30,319 connect geochemistry to 1534 00:58:35,510 --> 00:58:32,799 and what astonished us even more is that 1535 00:58:36,950 --> 00:58:35,520 when you zoom in on these rocks to the 1536 00:58:39,190 --> 00:58:36,960 right there 1537 00:58:40,309 --> 00:58:39,200 this is what you see 1538 00:58:41,430 --> 00:58:40,319 yeah 1539 00:58:43,510 --> 00:58:41,440 uh 1540 00:58:45,190 --> 00:58:43,520 we're calling these the bearded rocks of 1541 00:58:46,230 --> 00:58:45,200 the cyrena deep 1542 00:58:48,829 --> 00:58:46,240 because 1543 00:58:51,510 --> 00:58:48,839 they they look like sort of a fuzzy 1544 00:58:53,990 --> 00:58:51,520 rock and our current 1545 00:58:56,309 --> 00:58:54,000 um hypothesis and and the evidence 1546 00:58:58,870 --> 00:58:56,319 supports this so far is that 1547 00:59:02,549 --> 00:58:58,880 these filaments coming off of these 1548 00:59:04,789 --> 00:59:02,559 rocks are microbial mats 1549 00:59:07,589 --> 00:59:04,799 that are metabolizing 1550 00:59:09,589 --> 00:59:07,599 fluids that are slowly percolating up 1551 00:59:14,069 --> 00:59:09,599 from the from the ocean floor 1552 00:59:14,870 --> 00:59:14,079 below and from those rocks uh utilizing 1553 00:59:17,109 --> 00:59:14,880 uh 1554 00:59:18,470 --> 00:59:17,119 the the effluent from this this process 1555 00:59:19,750 --> 00:59:18,480 of serpentinization that i mentioned 1556 00:59:22,789 --> 00:59:19,760 before 1557 00:59:25,589 --> 00:59:22,799 and so we think that in the deepest 1558 00:59:27,349 --> 00:59:25,599 region of our own ocean 1559 00:59:29,190 --> 00:59:27,359 this exothermic process of 1560 00:59:32,950 --> 00:59:29,200 serpentinization 1561 00:59:36,630 --> 00:59:32,960 is providing the chemical energy needed 1562 00:59:37,910 --> 00:59:36,640 to help sustain a microbial ecosystem 1563 00:59:40,069 --> 00:59:37,920 that is then 1564 00:59:41,910 --> 00:59:40,079 sustaining those complex creatures those 1565 00:59:42,870 --> 00:59:41,920 amphipods that i showed you in the 1566 00:59:44,870 --> 00:59:42,880 previous 1567 00:59:46,870 --> 00:59:44,880 video 1568 00:59:49,990 --> 00:59:46,880 which is 1569 00:59:51,750 --> 00:59:50,000 evidence of not just a simple ecosystem 1570 00:59:55,349 --> 00:59:51,760 in one of the the harshest environments 1571 00:59:58,309 --> 00:59:55,359 on earth but but a quite a complex and 1572 01:00:02,470 --> 00:59:58,319 involved ecosystem in the deepest depths 1573 01:00:03,750 --> 01:00:02,480 of our ocean in a region that is 1574 01:00:05,910 --> 01:00:03,760 as close 1575 01:00:07,829 --> 01:00:05,920 to europa's seafloor as we can get on 1576 01:00:09,829 --> 01:00:07,839 earth 1577 01:00:11,990 --> 01:00:09,839 so how does this all add up for what we 1578 01:00:12,950 --> 01:00:12,000 want to do on europa 1579 01:00:15,270 --> 01:00:12,960 well 1580 01:00:17,030 --> 01:00:15,280 i'll give you my dream of dreams 1581 01:00:19,510 --> 01:00:17,040 in the dream scenario 1582 01:00:21,750 --> 01:00:19,520 some decades from now 1583 01:00:23,829 --> 01:00:21,760 we will deploy some 1584 01:00:25,030 --> 01:00:23,839 highly capable lander 1585 01:00:27,589 --> 01:00:25,040 that 1586 01:00:28,950 --> 01:00:27,599 brilliant engineers at nasa and jpl are 1587 01:00:29,990 --> 01:00:28,960 able to design 1588 01:00:32,870 --> 01:00:30,000 that can 1589 01:00:35,990 --> 01:00:32,880 negotiate the 1590 01:00:38,150 --> 01:00:36,000 the surface of europa avoiding cliffs 1591 01:00:40,789 --> 01:00:38,160 and boulders 1592 01:00:44,470 --> 01:00:40,799 finding a nice 1593 01:00:47,430 --> 01:00:44,480 soft and and flat landing spot 1594 01:00:49,750 --> 01:00:47,440 deploying a melt probe with some sort of 1595 01:00:52,069 --> 01:00:49,760 uh heat source on the front end to to 1596 01:00:53,670 --> 01:00:52,079 melt through the ice 1597 01:00:55,510 --> 01:00:53,680 going all the way through that ice 1598 01:00:58,069 --> 01:00:55,520 leaving behind a fiber optic cure or 1599 01:01:00,150 --> 01:00:58,079 some other communication cable to to 1600 01:01:02,950 --> 01:01:00,160 send data back to the surface 1601 01:01:05,270 --> 01:01:02,960 it reaches the ocean 1602 01:01:07,829 --> 01:01:05,280 deploys that front end nose cone and out 1603 01:01:09,109 --> 01:01:07,839 pops this autonomous underwater vehicle 1604 01:01:11,030 --> 01:01:09,119 we're of course not going to be able to 1605 01:01:14,150 --> 01:01:11,040 joystick this from from earth so this 1606 01:01:15,750 --> 01:01:14,160 thing would have to be quite autonomous 1607 01:01:17,270 --> 01:01:15,760 it gets down to the bottom of the sea 1608 01:01:20,789 --> 01:01:17,280 floor 1609 01:01:22,230 --> 01:01:20,799 and at least in our imax hollywood 1610 01:01:25,430 --> 01:01:22,240 version 1611 01:01:27,670 --> 01:01:25,440 we then find not only hydrothermal vents 1612 01:01:30,150 --> 01:01:27,680 but happy creatures 1613 01:01:33,190 --> 01:01:30,160 uh that are delighted to see us 1614 01:01:35,910 --> 01:01:33,200 and we have revolutionized the uh 1615 01:01:38,710 --> 01:01:35,920 the science of biology 1616 01:01:40,950 --> 01:01:38,720 so that is the dream of dreams um of 1617 01:01:43,670 --> 01:01:40,960 course we have many steps to take 1618 01:01:46,069 --> 01:01:43,680 to make that possible 1619 01:01:48,069 --> 01:01:46,079 and right now of course 1620 01:01:49,589 --> 01:01:48,079 nasa and jpl are in the process of 1621 01:01:51,270 --> 01:01:49,599 studying 1622 01:01:53,270 --> 01:01:51,280 various types of missions that would get 1623 01:01:56,309 --> 01:01:53,280 us back out to europa 1624 01:01:59,029 --> 01:01:56,319 and we're optimistic that uh within the 1625 01:02:01,589 --> 01:01:59,039 next decade or so we will return to this 1626 01:02:02,470 --> 01:02:01,599 incredibly compelling world that that 1627 01:02:03,829 --> 01:02:02,480 could 1628 01:02:06,870 --> 01:02:03,839 harbor life 1629 01:02:08,870 --> 01:02:06,880 and so i'd like to close 1630 01:02:10,630 --> 01:02:08,880 with 1631 01:02:14,950 --> 01:02:10,640 one of my favorite images from the from 1632 01:02:19,029 --> 01:02:16,150 it's 1633 01:02:20,549 --> 01:02:19,039 an image carved 1634 01:02:22,150 --> 01:02:20,559 by 1635 01:02:23,349 --> 01:02:22,160 none other 1636 01:02:25,510 --> 01:02:23,359 than 1637 01:02:31,349 --> 01:02:25,520 galileo galilei 1638 01:02:36,549 --> 01:02:34,150 it's an image that galileo carefully 1639 01:02:41,589 --> 01:02:36,559 traced out night after night 1640 01:02:41,599 --> 01:02:46,150 there we go 1641 01:02:50,630 --> 01:02:47,430 there we are 1642 01:02:53,029 --> 01:02:50,640 um as you all know galileo turned his 1643 01:02:55,270 --> 01:02:53,039 telescope to the night sky 1644 01:02:57,349 --> 01:02:55,280 and carefully charted 1645 01:02:59,670 --> 01:02:57,359 jupiter and 1646 01:03:03,510 --> 01:02:59,680 he noticed these four tiny little specks 1647 01:03:06,150 --> 01:03:03,520 of light around jupiter now of course in 1648 01:03:07,270 --> 01:03:06,160 the in the early days of his uh 1649 01:03:09,270 --> 01:03:07,280 um 1650 01:03:11,029 --> 01:03:09,280 charting these little points of light he 1651 01:03:12,150 --> 01:03:11,039 initially thought that they were stars 1652 01:03:15,190 --> 01:03:12,160 and so 1653 01:03:16,710 --> 01:03:15,200 he named them the stars of medici 1654 01:03:19,270 --> 01:03:16,720 galileo was of course funded by the 1655 01:03:21,349 --> 01:03:19,280 medici family and he was no idiot so he 1656 01:03:23,190 --> 01:03:21,359 knew that 1657 01:03:25,430 --> 01:03:23,200 to keep the money rolling he should he 1658 01:03:28,230 --> 01:03:25,440 should uh 1659 01:03:30,710 --> 01:03:28,240 name something after his sponsor 1660 01:03:32,150 --> 01:03:30,720 but he soon realized that these stars 1661 01:03:34,710 --> 01:03:32,160 were moving 1662 01:03:36,630 --> 01:03:34,720 and night after night he charted them 1663 01:03:39,109 --> 01:03:36,640 and determined that in fact 1664 01:03:40,870 --> 01:03:39,119 those four little dots were not stars 1665 01:03:43,109 --> 01:03:40,880 they were moons they were moons of 1666 01:03:45,829 --> 01:03:43,119 jupiter and if jupiter had moons 1667 01:03:48,390 --> 01:03:45,839 then then it 1668 01:03:51,109 --> 01:03:48,400 must be similar to the earth 1669 01:03:54,150 --> 01:03:51,119 because of course earth had been 1670 01:03:57,029 --> 01:03:54,160 up until that point the only world that 1671 01:03:58,390 --> 01:03:57,039 had a moon and so if things were going 1672 01:04:01,910 --> 01:03:58,400 around jupiter 1673 01:04:02,710 --> 01:04:01,920 then that went against that aristotelian 1674 01:04:04,630 --> 01:04:02,720 view 1675 01:04:07,190 --> 01:04:04,640 of the earth being the center around 1676 01:04:09,670 --> 01:04:07,200 which everything else revolved 1677 01:04:13,510 --> 01:04:09,680 so with his careful charting of not just 1678 01:04:16,710 --> 01:04:13,520 jupiter but of course venus and the moon 1679 01:04:18,549 --> 01:04:16,720 galileo was able to put the final nail 1680 01:04:20,789 --> 01:04:18,559 in the coffin of aristo 1681 01:04:23,510 --> 01:04:20,799 aristotelian cosmology 1682 01:04:26,390 --> 01:04:23,520 and open the doorway to the copernican 1683 01:04:28,789 --> 01:04:26,400 revolution 1684 01:04:30,710 --> 01:04:28,799 and in the decades that would follow 1685 01:04:33,910 --> 01:04:30,720 galileo 1686 01:04:34,870 --> 01:04:33,920 we would come to learn and appreciate 1687 01:04:36,870 --> 01:04:34,880 that 1688 01:04:37,990 --> 01:04:36,880 the laws of physics 1689 01:04:40,470 --> 01:04:38,000 apply 1690 01:04:43,029 --> 01:04:40,480 not just here on earth but also 1691 01:04:44,710 --> 01:04:43,039 to these worlds and wonders beyond the 1692 01:04:46,630 --> 01:04:44,720 earth 1693 01:04:49,029 --> 01:04:46,640 and in the decades and centuries after 1694 01:04:51,349 --> 01:04:49,039 that with the advent of of spectroscopy 1695 01:04:53,990 --> 01:04:51,359 and new techniques for studying stars 1696 01:04:57,029 --> 01:04:54,000 and planets 1697 01:04:59,270 --> 01:04:57,039 would come to appreciate that 1698 01:05:00,789 --> 01:04:59,280 the principles of chemistry 1699 01:05:02,710 --> 01:05:00,799 apply 1700 01:05:05,510 --> 01:05:02,720 not just here on earth 1701 01:05:07,430 --> 01:05:05,520 but also on worlds and wonders beyond 1702 01:05:10,950 --> 01:05:07,440 the earth 1703 01:05:12,950 --> 01:05:10,960 and then with the advent of our robotic 1704 01:05:15,029 --> 01:05:12,960 exploration of the solar system 1705 01:05:17,750 --> 01:05:15,039 and our investigation of worlds like 1706 01:05:19,750 --> 01:05:17,760 mars and and mercury and venus 1707 01:05:22,630 --> 01:05:19,760 we would come to appreciate that the 1708 01:05:24,150 --> 01:05:22,640 principles of geology 1709 01:05:26,470 --> 01:05:24,160 apply 1710 01:05:29,270 --> 01:05:26,480 not just here on earth but also to these 1711 01:05:31,430 --> 01:05:29,280 worlds and wonders beyond earth 1712 01:05:34,150 --> 01:05:31,440 but when it comes to this 1713 01:05:37,829 --> 01:05:34,160 bizarre little thing we call life when 1714 01:05:40,870 --> 01:05:37,839 it comes to the the phenomenon of 1715 01:05:42,549 --> 01:05:40,880 life when it comes to the science of 1716 01:05:45,349 --> 01:05:42,559 biology 1717 01:05:49,589 --> 01:05:45,359 we have yet to make that leap 1718 01:05:53,190 --> 01:05:49,599 we don't yet know whether or not biology 1719 01:05:55,270 --> 01:05:53,200 works on worlds and wonders beyond earth 1720 01:05:56,390 --> 01:05:55,280 we have every reason to believe that it 1721 01:05:58,309 --> 01:05:56,400 should 1722 01:06:01,349 --> 01:05:58,319 our study of life on earth 1723 01:06:02,549 --> 01:06:01,359 leads us to think that that 1724 01:06:04,390 --> 01:06:02,559 life 1725 01:06:06,150 --> 01:06:04,400 is likely 1726 01:06:08,710 --> 01:06:06,160 everywhere where the conditions are 1727 01:06:11,270 --> 01:06:08,720 right but we have yet to do that 1728 01:06:13,750 --> 01:06:11,280 experiment 1729 01:06:14,710 --> 01:06:13,760 and part of what excites me 1730 01:06:17,029 --> 01:06:14,720 about 1731 01:06:19,029 --> 01:06:17,039 the time in which we live 1732 01:06:21,990 --> 01:06:19,039 part of what excites me about 1733 01:06:23,990 --> 01:06:22,000 the next few decades 1734 01:06:26,150 --> 01:06:24,000 is that for the first time in the 1735 01:06:29,670 --> 01:06:26,160 history of humanity 1736 01:06:31,029 --> 01:06:29,680 we have the tools and technology 1737 01:06:33,829 --> 01:06:31,039 to answer 1738 01:06:37,670 --> 01:06:33,839 this age-old question of whether or not 1739 01:06:40,069 --> 01:06:37,680 we are in fact alone in the universe 1740 01:06:42,870 --> 01:06:40,079 and so i hope that some 1741 01:06:45,109 --> 01:06:42,880 400 years from now 1742 01:06:47,910 --> 01:06:45,119 our descendants 1743 01:06:49,349 --> 01:06:47,920 we'll be able to look back at this time 1744 01:06:51,190 --> 01:06:49,359 in much the same way that we can look 1745 01:06:52,710 --> 01:06:51,200 back at the at the revolution that 1746 01:06:54,789 --> 01:06:52,720 galileo's 1747 01:06:56,950 --> 01:06:54,799 work began 1748 01:06:59,589 --> 01:06:56,960 our descendants some 400 years from now 1749 01:07:02,309 --> 01:06:59,599 will be able to look back 1750 01:07:05,190 --> 01:07:02,319 at this time in the history of human 1751 01:07:08,069 --> 01:07:05,200 exploration and scientific discovery 1752 01:07:11,829 --> 01:07:08,079 not just this time this place 1753 01:07:14,390 --> 01:07:11,839 the jpl a premier place in helping to 1754 01:07:16,390 --> 01:07:14,400 achieve the the exploration and the 1755 01:07:17,430 --> 01:07:16,400 science that needs to be done to to 1756 01:07:19,670 --> 01:07:17,440 advance 1757 01:07:21,589 --> 01:07:19,680 these kind of of discoveries 1758 01:07:23,589 --> 01:07:21,599 i hope our descendants will be able to 1759 01:07:26,150 --> 01:07:23,599 look back at this time 1760 01:07:27,589 --> 01:07:26,160 in this place and say 1761 01:07:28,870 --> 01:07:27,599 it was then 1762 01:07:31,190 --> 01:07:28,880 it was there 1763 01:07:32,549 --> 01:07:31,200 it was through the perseverance and the 1764 01:07:34,710 --> 01:07:32,559 exploration 1765 01:07:36,870 --> 01:07:34,720 that the discoveries were made that 1766 01:07:59,190 --> 01:07:36,880 brought the universe to life 1767 01:08:01,910 --> 01:08:00,870 so we may have a little bit of time for 1768 01:08:03,349 --> 01:08:01,920 questions and i think there's a 1769 01:08:04,870 --> 01:08:03,359 microphone there so if you have a 1770 01:08:13,750 --> 01:08:04,880 question to ask please if you would go 1771 01:08:17,910 --> 01:08:15,430 uh my name is abhi and i'm a summer 1772 01:08:20,229 --> 01:08:17,920 intern here at jpl my question is that 1773 01:08:22,229 --> 01:08:20,239 in a in a not completely unlikely event 1774 01:08:24,309 --> 01:08:22,239 of future nasa missions to europe are 1775 01:08:25,510 --> 01:08:24,319 being pushed further into future due to 1776 01:08:27,349 --> 01:08:25,520 budget cuts 1777 01:08:29,189 --> 01:08:27,359 what level of merit do you see in a 1778 01:08:32,309 --> 01:08:29,199 flyby mission to europa which could just 1779 01:08:34,309 --> 01:08:32,319 sniff the water plumes and maybe deduce 1780 01:08:35,349 --> 01:08:34,319 the chemistry lying beneath the icy 1781 01:08:36,789 --> 01:08:35,359 shell 1782 01:08:41,189 --> 01:08:36,799 yeah so 1783 01:08:46,550 --> 01:08:43,189 we don't yet have 1784 01:08:48,229 --> 01:08:46,560 definitive evidence of 1785 01:08:49,829 --> 01:08:48,239 plumes 1786 01:08:51,669 --> 01:08:49,839 that that we could then direct a 1787 01:08:55,349 --> 01:08:51,679 spacecraft to 1788 01:08:56,390 --> 01:08:55,359 i think that plumes are likely there 1789 01:08:58,870 --> 01:08:56,400 but 1790 01:08:59,990 --> 01:08:58,880 if we were just to do a quick and dirty 1791 01:09:02,870 --> 01:09:00,000 mission 1792 01:09:04,870 --> 01:09:02,880 that's very simple 1793 01:09:06,390 --> 01:09:04,880 it would be a little bit hard to know 1794 01:09:07,990 --> 01:09:06,400 exactly 1795 01:09:09,030 --> 01:09:08,000 where the best place is to capture 1796 01:09:16,309 --> 01:09:09,040 material 1797 01:09:18,950 --> 01:09:17,349 hello 1798 01:09:20,550 --> 01:09:18,960 in regard to 1799 01:09:21,430 --> 01:09:20,560 the auroras 1800 01:09:23,189 --> 01:09:21,440 of 1801 01:09:24,950 --> 01:09:23,199 europa 1802 01:09:27,430 --> 01:09:24,960 is it possible 1803 01:09:29,590 --> 01:09:27,440 that they will discover 1804 01:09:31,590 --> 01:09:29,600 microbial life 1805 01:09:32,709 --> 01:09:31,600 in the plumes of 1806 01:09:35,510 --> 01:09:32,719 europa 1807 01:09:37,110 --> 01:09:35,520 like they have uh discovered it in 1808 01:09:38,550 --> 01:09:37,120 enceladus 1809 01:09:41,030 --> 01:09:38,560 well so 1810 01:09:42,709 --> 01:09:41,040 at enceladus we haven't yet found life 1811 01:09:44,390 --> 01:09:42,719 in the in the plume water but we have 1812 01:09:47,030 --> 01:09:44,400 found some some compelling organic 1813 01:09:49,030 --> 01:09:47,040 chemistry and that of course makes 1814 01:09:50,229 --> 01:09:49,040 enceladus an incredibly exciting target 1815 01:09:51,749 --> 01:09:50,239 to go back to 1816 01:09:54,149 --> 01:09:51,759 and i want to explore all of these 1817 01:09:55,750 --> 01:09:54,159 worlds uh in my opinion we should be 1818 01:09:57,510 --> 01:09:55,760 getting spacecraft out there doing 1819 01:09:58,470 --> 01:09:57,520 science uh all throughout the solar 1820 01:09:59,910 --> 01:09:58,480 system 1821 01:10:01,270 --> 01:09:59,920 and um 1822 01:10:02,630 --> 01:10:01,280 and so 1823 01:10:04,229 --> 01:10:02,640 one of the 1824 01:10:07,350 --> 01:10:04,239 but but the fundamental of your question 1825 01:10:08,950 --> 01:10:07,360 now could if there was microbial life in 1826 01:10:10,790 --> 01:10:08,960 the in the ocean 1827 01:10:13,189 --> 01:10:10,800 would it be ejected out and and could we 1828 01:10:14,950 --> 01:10:13,199 be able to would we be able to catch it 1829 01:10:16,870 --> 01:10:14,960 um 1830 01:10:19,270 --> 01:10:16,880 at this point in time we don't really 1831 01:10:20,390 --> 01:10:19,280 know we're doing some experiments to try 1832 01:10:22,870 --> 01:10:20,400 and see 1833 01:10:24,630 --> 01:10:22,880 uh whether or not for instance in 1834 01:10:26,149 --> 01:10:24,640 earth's ocean if you took 1835 01:10:29,510 --> 01:10:26,159 the microbial 1836 01:10:31,270 --> 01:10:29,520 cell densities in earth's ocean water 1837 01:10:34,310 --> 01:10:31,280 and pretended that that was europa's 1838 01:10:36,229 --> 01:10:34,320 ocean water or enceladus ocean water 1839 01:10:37,669 --> 01:10:36,239 how much 1840 01:10:39,750 --> 01:10:37,679 material would you have to collect 1841 01:10:41,669 --> 01:10:39,760 before you captured one cell 1842 01:10:42,950 --> 01:10:41,679 we don't know the answer to that quite 1843 01:10:44,310 --> 01:10:42,960 yet but 1844 01:10:45,669 --> 01:10:44,320 but that's part of the work that we're 1845 01:10:46,790 --> 01:10:45,679 doing to sort of fold into these 1846 01:10:47,830 --> 01:10:46,800 missions 1847 01:10:52,470 --> 01:10:47,840 thank you 1848 01:10:57,669 --> 01:10:55,669 could you tell me anything about the 1849 01:10:59,350 --> 01:10:57,679 work or if there is any work being done 1850 01:11:02,390 --> 01:10:59,360 to look deeper 1851 01:11:04,149 --> 01:11:02,400 into the hydrothermal vents themselves 1852 01:11:06,149 --> 01:11:04,159 you know we look at them when they reach 1853 01:11:07,910 --> 01:11:06,159 the open ocean 1854 01:11:10,470 --> 01:11:07,920 i don't know how much water content you 1855 01:11:11,510 --> 01:11:10,480 have and what's being pumped out of them 1856 01:11:13,430 --> 01:11:11,520 but 1857 01:11:16,470 --> 01:11:13,440 you know what is there a possibility of 1858 01:11:18,870 --> 01:11:16,480 life deeper within those systems and is 1859 01:11:20,310 --> 01:11:18,880 there a way to actually plumb them with 1860 01:11:21,830 --> 01:11:20,320 instrumentation 1861 01:11:24,390 --> 01:11:21,840 yeah that's a that's a great question 1862 01:11:27,750 --> 01:11:24,400 and and there is uh some very nice work 1863 01:11:31,430 --> 01:11:27,760 being done uh a number of different 1864 01:11:34,070 --> 01:11:31,440 institutions uh woods hall um 1865 01:11:35,669 --> 01:11:34,080 university of washington seattle scripps 1866 01:11:37,030 --> 01:11:35,679 uh usc 1867 01:11:40,390 --> 01:11:37,040 uh and there's a project called the 1868 01:11:43,030 --> 01:11:40,400 ocean drilling program that has as 1869 01:11:45,590 --> 01:11:43,040 sort of a a component of it looking in 1870 01:11:46,950 --> 01:11:45,600 areas that uh that have or had 1871 01:11:48,149 --> 01:11:46,960 hydrothermal vents 1872 01:11:50,149 --> 01:11:48,159 um 1873 01:11:52,390 --> 01:11:50,159 but this sort of folds into 1874 01:11:55,350 --> 01:11:52,400 a passion of mine which is developing 1875 01:11:56,870 --> 01:11:55,360 the robotic tools to do exactly what 1876 01:11:58,630 --> 01:11:56,880 you're saying 1877 01:12:01,669 --> 01:11:58,640 so we can actually kind of 1878 01:12:03,510 --> 01:12:01,679 dive even deeper into the into the the 1879 01:12:05,430 --> 01:12:03,520 channels of 1880 01:12:08,950 --> 01:12:05,440 of water that are that are being cycled 1881 01:12:11,030 --> 01:12:08,960 up through our ocean floor 1882 01:12:12,550 --> 01:12:11,040 hi my name is andrew i'm a summer intern 1883 01:12:15,189 --> 01:12:12,560 a great presentation it was really 1884 01:12:17,350 --> 01:12:15,199 interesting and i just have one question 1885 01:12:19,270 --> 01:12:17,360 if regardless of whether or not we drill 1886 01:12:20,630 --> 01:12:19,280 down and find life or not once we do 1887 01:12:22,550 --> 01:12:20,640 drill down we're going to likely 1888 01:12:24,709 --> 01:12:22,560 contaminate what's in there so what are 1889 01:12:26,229 --> 01:12:24,719 some means that jpl and nasa are working 1890 01:12:28,149 --> 01:12:26,239 with to prevent that from happening 1891 01:12:29,110 --> 01:12:28,159 thank you yeah that's a great question 1892 01:12:33,750 --> 01:12:29,120 um 1893 01:12:38,470 --> 01:12:33,760 the 1894 01:12:40,310 --> 01:12:38,480 planetary protection officer at nasa 1895 01:12:42,709 --> 01:12:40,320 headquarters 1896 01:12:44,390 --> 01:12:42,719 worked very closely on addressing these 1897 01:12:46,790 --> 01:12:44,400 issues and any mission 1898 01:12:49,590 --> 01:12:46,800 that would go 1899 01:12:52,709 --> 01:12:49,600 near europa or onto the surface 1900 01:12:55,990 --> 01:12:53,830 undergo 1901 01:12:58,310 --> 01:12:56,000 a lot of cleaning and sterilization to 1902 01:12:59,590 --> 01:12:58,320 make sure that we don't bring any earth 1903 01:13:01,910 --> 01:12:59,600 microbes 1904 01:13:03,590 --> 01:13:01,920 to that potentially habitable ocean 1905 01:13:05,430 --> 01:13:03,600 because of course the last thing we want 1906 01:13:06,870 --> 01:13:05,440 to do is 1907 01:13:08,790 --> 01:13:06,880 find a false positive we don't want to 1908 01:13:12,149 --> 01:13:08,800 go all the way to europa and find an 1909 01:13:13,510 --> 01:13:12,159 earth microbe and more importantly 1910 01:13:16,630 --> 01:13:13,520 we don't want to 1911 01:13:18,790 --> 01:13:16,640 destroy europa for the europeans 1912 01:13:20,790 --> 01:13:18,800 you know it's a if they've got something 1913 01:13:22,229 --> 01:13:20,800 going on in that ocean we should we 1914 01:13:24,709 --> 01:13:22,239 should let them keep doing what they're 1915 01:13:27,270 --> 01:13:25,910 i was wondering if you can calculate 1916 01:13:29,189 --> 01:13:27,280 theoretically the thickness of the 1917 01:13:30,470 --> 01:13:29,199 isolator on europa based on the tidal 1918 01:13:31,910 --> 01:13:30,480 energy 1919 01:13:33,910 --> 01:13:31,920 and the temperature receives from the 1920 01:13:36,229 --> 01:13:33,920 sun yeah um 1921 01:13:37,430 --> 01:13:36,239 that's a that's another great question 1922 01:13:39,750 --> 01:13:37,440 it's um 1923 01:13:41,510 --> 01:13:39,760 there are dozens of papers published on 1924 01:13:43,669 --> 01:13:41,520 the topic and 1925 01:13:46,390 --> 01:13:43,679 not much of a consensus has been reached 1926 01:13:48,470 --> 01:13:46,400 uh in part because 1927 01:13:50,630 --> 01:13:48,480 different processes happen 1928 01:13:52,470 --> 01:13:50,640 for slightly different thicknesses in 1929 01:13:54,709 --> 01:13:52,480 terms of convection and conduction of 1930 01:13:56,790 --> 01:13:54,719 heat out from the interior 1931 01:13:58,870 --> 01:13:56,800 and so 1932 01:14:00,950 --> 01:13:58,880 some scientists think that europa's 1933 01:14:03,590 --> 01:14:00,960 ocean europa's ice shell 1934 01:14:06,070 --> 01:14:03,600 is say 15 kilometers in thickness 1935 01:14:09,430 --> 01:14:06,080 and much of that 15 kilometers 1936 01:14:11,590 --> 01:14:09,440 is ice that is slowly convecting to 1937 01:14:13,350 --> 01:14:11,600 transport heat and then it's overlaying 1938 01:14:14,870 --> 01:14:13,360 by a brittle lid 1939 01:14:17,110 --> 01:14:14,880 other scientists think that it's 1940 01:14:19,350 --> 01:14:17,120 actually quite a thin shell maybe a few 1941 01:14:21,030 --> 01:14:19,360 kilometers in thickness and most of the 1942 01:14:22,310 --> 01:14:21,040 heat is being dissipated via via 1943 01:14:24,070 --> 01:14:22,320 conduction 1944 01:14:25,669 --> 01:14:24,080 so 1945 01:14:27,910 --> 01:14:25,679 it's a topic of much debate and it's one 1946 01:14:29,669 --> 01:14:27,920 of the key questions that any future 1947 01:14:33,910 --> 01:14:29,679 mission would uh 1948 01:14:37,030 --> 01:14:35,030 hello thank you so much for your 1949 01:14:39,350 --> 01:14:37,040 presentations really wonderful and by 1950 01:14:41,350 --> 01:14:39,360 the way i really enjoyed europa report 1951 01:14:43,270 --> 01:14:41,360 okay well thank you everybody should see 1952 01:14:44,390 --> 01:14:43,280 it i wanted to ask you about the 1953 01:14:45,669 --> 01:14:44,400 interesting news that came out a few 1954 01:14:47,270 --> 01:14:45,679 months ago from the university of 1955 01:14:49,350 --> 01:14:47,280 washington of a paper 1956 01:14:51,110 --> 01:14:49,360 that talked about um 1957 01:14:52,390 --> 01:14:51,120 the ability to find certain molecules 1958 01:14:54,550 --> 01:14:52,400 and distant planets potentially 1959 01:14:56,709 --> 01:14:54,560 exoplanets that could be indicators of 1960 01:14:58,630 --> 01:14:56,719 life and i'd 1961 01:15:01,510 --> 01:14:58,640 correct me is it dimer molecules or 1962 01:15:03,270 --> 01:15:01,520 dimmer molecules dimers yeah 1963 01:15:04,790 --> 01:15:03,280 and is that something that's relevant to 1964 01:15:06,390 --> 01:15:04,800 europa or enceladus or any of these 1965 01:15:08,149 --> 01:15:06,400 outer ocean worlds and and where are we 1966 01:15:10,070 --> 01:15:08,159 getting in terms of our 1967 01:15:11,669 --> 01:15:10,080 space telescopes potentially the james 1968 01:15:13,990 --> 01:15:11,679 webb in terms of being able to detect 1969 01:15:15,350 --> 01:15:14,000 those molecules on worlds even farther 1970 01:15:17,350 --> 01:15:15,360 out that may indicate the presence of 1971 01:15:18,790 --> 01:15:17,360 life or photosynthesis or 1972 01:15:19,830 --> 01:15:18,800 something happening on one of those 1973 01:15:21,270 --> 01:15:19,840 planets that might be interesting to 1974 01:15:23,350 --> 01:15:21,280 explore further 1975 01:15:25,990 --> 01:15:23,360 yeah here again i wish we could be 1976 01:15:27,590 --> 01:15:26,000 moving faster 1977 01:15:29,990 --> 01:15:27,600 there are ground-based telescopes the 1978 01:15:31,910 --> 01:15:30,000 30-millimeter telescope out in hawaii of 1979 01:15:33,990 --> 01:15:31,920 course james webb 1980 01:15:35,030 --> 01:15:34,000 and potentially some 1981 01:15:37,590 --> 01:15:35,040 some 1982 01:15:39,830 --> 01:15:37,600 smaller space-based telescopes that that 1983 01:15:41,110 --> 01:15:39,840 will come online 1984 01:15:43,350 --> 01:15:41,120 in the not too distant future that will 1985 01:15:46,390 --> 01:15:43,360 help be able to do spectroscopy of of 1986 01:15:47,830 --> 01:15:46,400 these um exoplanet atmospheres 1987 01:15:49,350 --> 01:15:47,840 uh 1988 01:15:51,830 --> 01:15:49,360 i wish we could move faster on that 1989 01:15:53,750 --> 01:15:51,840 because it's such a fascinating area for 1990 01:15:58,390 --> 01:15:53,760 exploration 1991 01:16:01,910 --> 01:16:01,110 when we do eventually find 1992 01:16:16,070 --> 01:16:01,920 a 1993 01:16:17,990 --> 01:16:16,080 left 1994 01:16:19,510 --> 01:16:18,000 unless we train our radio telescopes or 1995 01:16:21,110 --> 01:16:19,520 our optical telescopes and find some 1996 01:16:22,630 --> 01:16:21,120 steady signal of intelligent 1997 01:16:24,310 --> 01:16:22,640 civilizations there 1998 01:16:26,709 --> 01:16:24,320 that one of the limitations of 1999 01:16:28,950 --> 01:16:26,719 exoplanets or one of the defining 2000 01:16:30,390 --> 01:16:28,960 attributes is that they are far away 2001 01:16:32,149 --> 01:16:30,400 and so 2002 01:16:35,189 --> 01:16:32,159 someday we will know 2003 01:16:36,709 --> 01:16:35,199 that there's a 2004 01:16:39,430 --> 01:16:36,719 habitable planet out there but then it 2005 01:16:42,149 --> 01:16:39,440 will take us a long time to get there if 2006 01:16:44,630 --> 01:16:42,159 they're not beaming communications to us 2007 01:16:45,910 --> 01:16:44,640 and that in part is is sort of what drew 2008 01:16:50,229 --> 01:16:45,920 me to 2009 01:16:54,790 --> 01:16:53,750 17 years ago or so at this point 2010 01:16:57,430 --> 01:16:54,800 is that 2011 01:16:59,750 --> 01:16:57,440 worlds like europa and enceladus are 2012 01:17:01,350 --> 01:16:59,760 worlds where we can actually send a 2013 01:17:04,149 --> 01:17:01,360 robotic spacecraft 2014 01:17:06,070 --> 01:17:04,159 to to look for living life and and you 2015 01:17:08,390 --> 01:17:06,080 know something that we can we can touch 2016 01:17:10,149 --> 01:17:08,400 and feel and and determine its 2017 01:17:11,750 --> 01:17:10,159 fundamental biochemistry 2018 01:17:13,830 --> 01:17:11,760 so uh i look forward to future 2019 01:17:15,430 --> 01:17:13,840 discoveries on exoplanets and that will 2020 01:17:17,669 --> 01:17:15,440 be moving along in parallel with our 2021 01:17:19,270 --> 01:17:17,679 exploration of our own solar system 2022 01:17:21,270 --> 01:17:19,280 i hope you get more funding to do it you 2023 01:17:23,750 --> 01:17:21,280 got to get those landers to uh 2024 01:17:24,790 --> 01:17:23,760 to europa oh well thank you we've got 2025 01:17:27,189 --> 01:17:24,800 lots of 2026 01:17:29,990 --> 01:17:27,199 bright young minds that are that are 2027 01:17:33,669 --> 01:17:30,000 uh excited about stem education who 2028 01:17:36,790 --> 01:17:35,830 well again a wonderful talk thank you so 2029 01:17:39,270 --> 01:17:36,800 much 2030 01:17:41,830 --> 01:17:39,280 and my question is i know there's a lot 2031 01:17:43,189 --> 01:17:41,840 of possibilities for the next mission to 2032 01:17:45,110 --> 01:17:43,199 go to europa 2033 01:17:47,590 --> 01:17:45,120 depending on what nasa's funding is what 2034 01:17:49,990 --> 01:17:47,600 congress decides and that sort of thing 2035 01:17:51,270 --> 01:17:50,000 which is a real game sometimes but 2036 01:17:54,390 --> 01:17:51,280 what's the most 2037 01:17:56,630 --> 01:17:54,400 concrete mission that is 2038 01:17:58,790 --> 01:17:56,640 at the forefront of heading out to 2039 01:18:00,870 --> 01:17:58,800 europa at this point where does that 2040 01:18:03,430 --> 01:18:00,880 stand and you know about maybe how long 2041 01:18:05,990 --> 01:18:03,440 it might take to send that off 2042 01:18:10,510 --> 01:18:06,000 yeah so um 2043 01:18:13,270 --> 01:18:10,520 a great resource um is to go to 2044 01:18:15,990 --> 01:18:13,280 europa.jpl.nasa.gov and that's got 2045 01:18:17,430 --> 01:18:16,000 all of the publicly available reports 2046 01:18:20,310 --> 01:18:17,440 and documentation 2047 01:18:22,229 --> 01:18:20,320 and another great resources 2048 01:18:24,070 --> 01:18:22,239 so within nasa there are these 2049 01:18:26,630 --> 01:18:24,080 assessment groups 2050 01:18:28,310 --> 01:18:26,640 for various regions and the outer 2051 01:18:31,110 --> 01:18:28,320 planets assessment group 2052 01:18:31,990 --> 01:18:31,120 or opaque if you just google 2053 01:18:33,910 --> 01:18:32,000 uh 2054 01:18:36,390 --> 01:18:33,920 opaque you'll find 2055 01:18:38,709 --> 01:18:36,400 lots of archived mission studies 2056 01:18:40,390 --> 01:18:38,719 and one of the the studies that 2057 01:18:43,110 --> 01:18:40,400 you'll find there is on the europa 2058 01:18:45,270 --> 01:18:43,120 clipper which is a mission that's being 2059 01:18:48,310 --> 01:18:45,280 studied and 2060 01:18:51,510 --> 01:18:48,320 analyzed here at jpl and other centers 2061 01:18:54,790 --> 01:18:51,520 and that mission would 2062 01:18:56,709 --> 01:18:54,800 if funded it would fly by europa 2063 01:18:58,790 --> 01:18:56,719 and be able to 2064 01:19:01,270 --> 01:18:58,800 examine the surface in great detail both 2065 01:19:03,270 --> 01:19:01,280 with imagery and spectroscopy 2066 01:19:05,830 --> 01:19:03,280 it would potentially utilize ice 2067 01:19:08,550 --> 01:19:05,840 penetrating radar to 2068 01:19:10,630 --> 01:19:08,560 probe into the ice and look for 2069 01:19:14,310 --> 01:19:10,640 water pockets and 2070 01:19:18,070 --> 01:19:15,910 and it would have many other instruments 2071 01:19:20,550 --> 01:19:18,080 that would help us assess the 2072 01:19:22,550 --> 01:19:20,560 habitability of europa so google around 2073 01:19:24,310 --> 01:19:22,560 and look for europa clipper 2074 01:19:25,830 --> 01:19:24,320 and you'll also find all sorts of other 2075 01:19:28,310 --> 01:19:25,840 studies that 2076 01:19:31,510 --> 01:19:28,320 that nasa has done 2077 01:19:33,910 --> 01:19:33,110 and we got a couple of questions from 2078 01:19:37,910 --> 01:19:33,920 the 2079 01:19:39,750 --> 01:19:37,920 web thank you 2080 01:19:41,830 --> 01:19:39,760 is the theory that europa is getting 2081 01:19:43,669 --> 01:19:41,840 geothermal activity from the title 2082 01:19:46,630 --> 01:19:43,679 squeezing of jupiter's gravitational 2083 01:19:48,709 --> 01:19:46,640 pressures yeah so the um 2084 01:19:51,590 --> 01:19:48,719 uh the questions about that title tug 2085 01:19:53,590 --> 01:19:51,600 and pull and 2086 01:19:56,470 --> 01:19:53,600 the reason why we think europa has this 2087 01:19:58,790 --> 01:19:56,480 liquid water ocean is because of that 2088 01:20:00,149 --> 01:19:58,800 that squeezing as europa goes around in 2089 01:20:01,669 --> 01:20:00,159 its slightly 2090 01:20:04,149 --> 01:20:01,679 elliptical orbit 2091 01:20:06,470 --> 01:20:04,159 just imagine io 2092 01:20:09,510 --> 01:20:06,480 but now cover it 2093 01:20:12,070 --> 01:20:09,520 cover it in ice and and 2094 01:20:16,870 --> 01:20:12,080 dial back the volcanism a little bit 2095 01:20:21,910 --> 01:20:20,470 what would europa's energy source be 2096 01:20:24,310 --> 01:20:21,920 for life 2097 01:20:26,390 --> 01:20:24,320 well if europa has an active seafloor 2098 01:20:28,310 --> 01:20:26,400 there could be hydrothermal vents 2099 01:20:31,030 --> 01:20:28,320 but then another aspect of the energy 2100 01:20:33,189 --> 01:20:31,040 equation for habitability on europa 2101 01:20:35,990 --> 01:20:33,199 comes back to the surface 2102 01:20:38,470 --> 01:20:36,000 where some of the work 2103 01:20:40,149 --> 01:20:38,480 i do and my colleagues do here at jpl is 2104 01:20:42,070 --> 01:20:40,159 looking at the surface radiation 2105 01:20:44,310 --> 01:20:42,080 chemistry and we actually know that 2106 01:20:45,270 --> 01:20:44,320 europa's surface ice 2107 01:20:47,669 --> 01:20:45,280 has 2108 01:20:50,390 --> 01:20:47,679 molecular oxygen trapped in it 2109 01:20:53,030 --> 01:20:50,400 it's got sulfate it's got carbon dioxide 2110 01:20:56,229 --> 01:20:53,040 it's got all of these compounds that 2111 01:20:58,229 --> 01:20:56,239 life on earth loves to eat and so if 2112 01:21:02,229 --> 01:20:58,239 some of that surface ice mixes into the 2113 01:21:03,990 --> 01:21:02,239 ocean below that could be a very 2114 01:21:06,550 --> 01:21:04,000 valuable chemical energy resource for 2115 01:21:07,910 --> 01:21:06,560 life within europa 2116 01:21:10,070 --> 01:21:07,920 and i'll just take one more here is 2117 01:21:12,310 --> 01:21:10,080 there any reasonable prospect that we 2118 01:21:14,310 --> 01:21:12,320 might find complex life forms 2119 01:21:17,510 --> 01:21:14,320 in the european ocean like the ones we 2120 01:21:20,390 --> 01:21:17,520 have in earth's hydrothermal vents um 2121 01:21:22,709 --> 01:21:20,400 a very interesting question and um 2122 01:21:24,629 --> 01:21:22,719 from an energy standpoint 2123 01:21:26,709 --> 01:21:24,639 it could be that that 2124 01:21:28,950 --> 01:21:26,719 so complex life on earth 2125 01:21:31,990 --> 01:21:28,960 even at those hydrothermal vents 2126 01:21:34,629 --> 01:21:32,000 it depends on oxygen that is produced 2127 01:21:36,229 --> 01:21:34,639 via photosynthesis so those tube worms 2128 01:21:37,510 --> 01:21:36,239 those shrimp those other creatures that 2129 01:21:39,750 --> 01:21:37,520 you see 2130 01:21:41,430 --> 01:21:39,760 they are breathing oxygen that's 2131 01:21:42,550 --> 01:21:41,440 dissolved in the ocean water and that 2132 01:21:44,950 --> 01:21:42,560 oxygen 2133 01:21:46,390 --> 01:21:44,960 comes from photosynthesis on the surface 2134 01:21:48,149 --> 01:21:46,400 of the earth 2135 01:21:50,390 --> 01:21:48,159 on europa we're not going to have 2136 01:21:51,430 --> 01:21:50,400 necessarily photosynthesis generating 2137 01:21:54,790 --> 01:21:51,440 oxygen 2138 01:21:57,110 --> 01:21:54,800 but we do have this radiation chemistry 2139 01:22:00,149 --> 01:21:57,120 that is bombarding europa's surface 2140 01:22:02,070 --> 01:22:00,159 producing uh that molecular oxygen that 2141 01:22:03,669 --> 01:22:02,080 that i mentioned and so if some of that 2142 01:22:05,510 --> 01:22:03,679 molecular oxygen 2143 01:22:08,709 --> 01:22:05,520 is mixed into the ocean 2144 01:22:11,030 --> 01:22:08,719 there could be enough oxygen 2145 01:22:12,310 --> 01:22:11,040 to potentially power complex life as we 2146 01:22:14,709 --> 01:22:12,320 know it 2147 01:22:17,189 --> 01:22:14,719 but from an evolutionary standpoint 2148 01:22:18,629 --> 01:22:17,199 uh this becomes a very intriguing 2149 01:22:20,390 --> 01:22:18,639 question 2150 01:22:23,270 --> 01:22:20,400 what 2151 01:22:27,430 --> 01:22:23,280 made complex life on earth possible 2152 01:22:29,430 --> 01:22:27,440 is it from an evolutionary standpoint 2153 01:22:31,590 --> 01:22:29,440 contingent on some events 2154 01:22:33,270 --> 01:22:31,600 or is it a sort of convergent 2155 01:22:36,229 --> 01:22:33,280 evolutionary process 2156 01:22:38,550 --> 01:22:36,239 will complex life arise on any world 2157 01:22:41,590 --> 01:22:38,560 that's got enough energy to help power 2158 01:22:43,430 --> 01:22:41,600 it we don't know and so going to europa 2159 01:22:45,110 --> 01:22:43,440 looking at some of that ocean chemistry 2160 01:22:47,270 --> 01:22:45,120 and potentially finding not just simple 2161 01:22:50,390 --> 01:22:47,280 life forms but more complex life forms 2162 01:22:52,550 --> 01:22:50,400 is something that i uh dream of doing 2163 01:22:54,070 --> 01:22:52,560 so i'll finish there and thank you again