NASA released the first image from the Europa Clipper spacecraft, a mosaic of a star field captured in December 2024. This image, taken by the spacecraft's star trackers, will be used to create a star map that will help the Europa Clipper navigate its journey to Jupiter's moon, Europa. The mission aims to determine the habitability of Europa by studying its icy surface, composition, and geology.
This mosaic of a star field was made from three images captured December 4, 2024, by star tracker cameras aboard NASA 's Europa Clipper spacecraft. This week, NASA released the first image from the Europa Clipper spacecraft's voyage. The image is a mosaic of a star field, created from three shots the solar-powered orbiter captured in December of 2024, less than two months after its launch. It's associated with the spacecraft's star map , which helps determine where it points.
With such a map, the Europa Clipper will be able to orient itself for the long trek to Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. As such, onboard are a pair of small cameras called star trackers, which capture the images for the ultimate star map mosaic. \The star trackers — formally known as the stellar reference units — provide guidance by taking pictures of stars, and then comparing the pictures in a computer that contains a catalog of stars with known positions. This provides a frame of reference for Europa Clipper, so that it can adjust for the precise targeting needed to reach its destination, as well as transmit data back home to Earth. \One of the most ambitious spacecraft ever created, Europa Clipper is a solar-powered robotic orbiter tasked with a vital mission to find out if the distant moon in Jupiter's orbit could possibly support life. To this end, the spacecraft's three main science objectives are determining the thickness of Europa's icy outer layer and how it interacts with the ocean below; investigating Europa’s composition; and characterizing the moon’s geology. The orbiter will travel at least 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) before it reaches the Jovian system in April 2030
NASA Europa Clipper Jupiter Europa Spacecraft Star Trackers Star Map Space Mission Planetary Science
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