An ocean on Jupiter's moon?

• Position: Planets - Brief Article

Acoustic techniques used by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, to explore the Arctic Ocean may help determine whether there is a vast liquid ocean under the ice blanketing Jupiter's moon, Europa. They suggest that they may be able to employ a technique similar to ultrasound, or the sonar navigation used by bats and dolphins, to gather information about Europa.

Ocean engineering professor Nicholas Makris says that implanting soda can-sized sensors in Europa's icy exterior could provide researchers with information on the temperature and structure of the planet. Current sensor technology makes it possible to detect even tiny...