Scientists long urged NASA to search for signs of life near Jupiter. They are generational quests,” said NASA JPL Director Laurie Leshin at a news conference for the Clipper launch. Although previous missions to Jupiter have given scientists a rough sketch of the moon, Clipper will help paint a detailed portrait. All while Congress had slashed its planetary science budget almost in half compared with a decade prior. In 2014, the agency explicitly told scientists and Congress that it would not fund a Europa mission in its budget request.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 09, 2024 17:55 UTC