Radar Detectability of a Subsurface Ocean on Europa

Abstract A spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter's moon Europa can use ice penetrating radar to probe for a possible liquid water ocean beneath Europa's surface ice and to characterize other important subsurface structure. Consideration of available constraints on the properties of Europa's ice, possible subsurface temperature gradients, and possible impurities in the ice places an upper limit of about 10 km on the depth to which an ocean might be detectable with an orbiting radar.

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