313
3,200
1,950
4,212
2,159
7,918
Enceladus
Titan
Europa
Mars
Earth’s moon
Earth
Diameters in miles
RELATIVE SIZES
One of the main moons of Jupiter, Europa is coated in ice and has a liquid ocean below that crust. Another Jovian moon, Ganymede, also has a sub-surface ocean.
Pros Europa clearly has plenty of water.
Cons Landing on Europa would be very difficult. Jupiter's huge gravity and radiation fields would make it difficult to approach. Its ocean is also many kilometres below the surface.
A giant moon of Saturn, Titan has a thick atmosphere and is known to have a sub-surface ocean.
Pros It would be relatively easy to parachute a probe onto its surface. Complex carbon chemicals found on its surface would make excellent building blocks for life if they came in contact with sub-surface water.
Cons Titan is very distant and its ocean is thought to lie deep below its surface.
A tiny moon on Saturn, Enceladus sprays out water into space from its sub-surface ocean.
Pros Collecting water, and any lifeforms in it, would be relatively straightforward.
Cons Enceladus is also far away and any mission to return samples to Earth would be extremely complex and lengthy.
Below its surface there is a strong chance that remains of the great oceans that covered Mars still linger on.
Pros Mars is relatively close and our ability to land craft on it is improving.
Cons Water, and therefore life, may lie very deep below its surface.
EUROPA
ENCELADUS
MARS
TITAN
313
3,200
1,950
4,212
2,159
7,918
Enceladus
Titan
Europa
Mars
Earth’s moon
Earth
Diameters in miles
RELATIVE SIZES
One of the main moons of Jupiter, Europa is coated in ice and has a liquid ocean below that crust. Another Jovian moon, Ganymede, also has a sub-surface ocean.
Pros Europa clearly has plenty of water.
Cons Landing on Europa would be very difficult. Jupiter's huge gravity and radiation fields would make it difficult to approach. Its ocean is also many kilometres below the surface.
A giant moon of Saturn, Titan has a thick atmosphere and is known to have a sub-surface ocean.
Pros It would be relatively easy to parachute a probe onto its surface. Complex carbon chemicals found on its surface would make excellent building blocks for life if they came in contact with sub-surface water.
Cons Titan is very distant and its ocean is thought to lie deep below its surface.
A tiny moon on Saturn, Enceladus sprays out water into space from its sub-surface ocean.
Pros Collecting water, and any lifeforms in it, would be relatively straightforward.
Cons Enceladus is also far away and any mission to return samples to Earth would be extremely complex and lengthy.
Below its surface there is a strong chance that remains of the great oceans that covered Mars still linger on.
Pros Mars is relatively close and our ability to land craft on it is improving.
Cons Water, and therefore life, may lie very deep below its surface.
EUROPA
ENCELADUS
MARS
TITAN
313
3,200
1,950
4,212
2,159
7,918
Enceladus
Titan
Europa
Mars
Earth’s moon
Earth
Diameters in miles
RELATIVE SIZES
One of the main moons of Jupiter, Europa is coated in ice and has a liquid ocean below that crust. Another Jovian moon, Ganymede, also has a sub-surface ocean.
Pros Europa clearly has plenty of water.
Cons Landing on Europa would be very difficult. Jupiter's huge gravity and radiation fields would make it difficult to approach. Its ocean is also many kilometres below the surface.
A giant moon of Saturn, Titan has a thick atmosphere and is known to have a sub-surface ocean.
Pros It would be relatively easy to parachute a probe onto its surface. Complex carbon chemicals found on its surface would make excellent building blocks for life if they came in contact with sub-surface water.
Cons Titan is very distant and its ocean is thought to lie deep below its surface.
A tiny moon on Saturn, Enceladus sprays out water into space from its sub-surface ocean.
Pros Collecting water, and any lifeforms in it, would be relatively straightforward.
Cons Enceladus is also far away and any mission to return samples to Earth would be extremely complex and lengthy.
Below its surface there is a strong chance that remains of the great oceans that covered Mars still linger on.
Pros Mars is relatively close and our ability to land craft on it is improving.
Cons Water, and therefore life, may lie very deep below its surface.
EUROPA
ENCELADUS
MARS
TITAN
313
3,200
1,950
4,212
2,159
7,918
Enceladus
Titan
Europa
Mars
Earth’s moon
Earth
Diameters in miles
RELATIVE SIZES
One of the main moons of Jupiter, Europa is coated in ice and has a liquid ocean below that crust. Another Jovian moon, Ganymede, also has a sub-surface ocean.
Pros Europa clearly has plenty of water.
Cons Landing on Europa would be very difficult. Jupiter's huge gravity and radiation fields would make it difficult to approach. Its ocean is also many kilometres below the surface.
A giant moon of Saturn, Titan has a thick atmosphere and is known to have a sub-surface ocean.
Pros It would be relatively easy to parachute a probe onto its surface. Complex carbon chemicals found on its surface would make excellent building blocks for life if they came in contact with sub-surface water.
Cons Titan is very distant and its ocean is thought to lie deep below its surface.
A tiny moon on Saturn, Enceladus sprays out water into space from its sub-surface ocean.
Pros Collecting water, and any lifeforms in it, would be relatively straightforward.
Cons Enceladus is also far away and any mission to return samples to Earth would be extremely complex and lengthy.
Below its surface there is a strong chance that remains of the great oceans that covered Mars still linger on.
Pros Mars is relatively close and our ability to land craft on it is improving.
Cons Water, and therefore life, may lie very deep below its surface.
EUROPA
ENCELADUS
MARS
TITAN