Jupiter - GS questions based on daily current affairs

1)   Juno space probe has entered Jupiter’s orbit. NASA is planning for a lander on which of the moons of Jupiter?

a. Io
b. Ganymede
c. Callisto
d. Europa
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Europa

Explanation:

  • Jupiter has 67 natural satellites. Out of those 4 (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callista) are massive and are known as Galilean Moons.
  • NASA is planning to send a lander on the Europa to find signs of life.
  • The probe will find Europa's composition, the nature of its sub-surface ocean, as well as its ability to host life.
  • The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) is a mission to Europa that is due to launch in 2022.
  • The mission is now known as Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission.
  • It comprises of an orbiter and a lander. Set for a launch in the 2020s (around 2022), the spacecraft are being developed to study the Galilean moon Europa through a lander and a series of flybys while in orbit around Jupiter.