NASA has started a test of submarine robots Swim (Sensing with Independent Microswimmers) designed to study the underground ocean on the Jupiter - Europe satellite. Scientists consider this satellite one of the most promising places to find extraterrestrial life in the solar system.
SWIM work should determine the chemical conditions necessary for life and possibly identify alien microorganisms. Their task is to explore the salty underground ocean of Europe, where water, according to scientists, is twice as much as in all the Earth's oceans combined. The first tests are conducted in the California Institute of California. The prototype of work printed on a 3D printer demonstrates high maneuverability in the aquatic environment.
The current version of the work is 42 cm long, but the working model will be more compact - only 12 cm.
Key characteristics of robots: sensory chip: measures temperature, pressure, acidity, conductivity and chemical composition of water. Wireless: to transmit data and determine the location. Compactness: allows you to explore the inaccessible places of the oceans. SWIM work is a complex designs that need improvement. Although the tests have shown successful work in the aquatic environment, NASA continues to test in computer simulations that mimic the extreme conditions of Europe: high pressure and low gravity.
Scientists believe that under the ice surface of Europe, a hidden ocean of liquid water, which may contain the necessary conditions for life. Thanks to missions such as swim, humanity is approaching one of the most intrusive questions: are we the only ones in the universe?
