// CANDIDATE WORLD — ICY MOON
Europa
LONGThe ocean world.
A global subsurface ocean under an ice shell — a premier astrobiology target, gated by distance and a brutal radiation environment.
Schematic — not to scale
Europa hides more liquid water than all of Earth beneath its ice — a leading place to look for life, and a hard one to reach. Distance, delta-v, and Jovian radiation push it to the long horizon.
Segal's near-term interest is characterization: subsurface and volatile science from flybys and orbiters, sequenced behind the propulsion and autonomy that make the outer system tractable.
- Gravity
- 0.13 g
- Day length
- ~3.5 Earth days
- Surface temp
- −160 °C to −220 °C
- Atmosphere
- Tenuous O₂
- Water
- Global subsurface ocean
- Radiation
- Severe (Jovian belts)
A subsurface ocean in contact with rock is a premier search target for life.
Vast water ice — long-term propellant and life-support potential.
Intense Jovian radiation constrains surface dwell time and electronics.
Catalog and plan in the Orbital Foundry.
Every candidate world, scored and sequenced in one console.