So someone, or something, is probably going to have to do some serious digging. And in the case of frozen Europa, or even the ice caps of Mars, that digging will involve some pretty fancy technology capable of boring down through thick ice in conditions a little more harsh than wherever you are reading this article.
No problem. Researchers are laying the groundwork, or rather the under-ice work, right here on Earth. And they're making some interesting findings along the way.
More than 3,900 feet (1,200 meters) below the surface of the West Antarctic ice sheet, a camera designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is proving that it can handle extreme environments. The camera was dropped into a pre-melted hole. In the future it will be mounted on a so-called cryobot, which would melt that its way through the ice and then takes pictures.
An early version of the real cryobot is being built, and researchers hope to test it in the Yukon later this summer. Meanwhile, the camera tests have discovered mysterious pockets and streams of water lurking below the ice.
"This project fits into the bigger picture of planetary studies," said Frank Carsey, JPL's principal investigator on the project. "It provides us with some understanding of how to observe what goes on deep in ice caps -- Earth's ice caps, Martian ice caps and ice caps on Europa."
The cryobot will be outfitted with two cameras and lights. Over the next couple of years, researchers plan to add other monitoring devices, including biological sensors that would search for evidence of life in the Antarctic ice sheet and eventually on Mars, Europa or elsewhere.
Treasure trove of information
The Antarctic Ice Borehole Probe Project is supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation. The project recently completed a three-month test of the camera that will be mounted on the cryobot, studying the vast West Antarctic ice sheet (it's as big as the United States and Mexico combined).
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