What just happened? For those following the development of the James Webb Space Telescope, it felt like it took forever to launch. However, it was worth the wait. The JWST provides views of light dating back to the Cosmic Dawn. It is also helpful in studying bodies closer to home.
Bon appétit: Deep space exploration will not be possible without access to food sources. Bringing astronauts new ration supplies from Earth will likely be impossible. However, researchers think they have solved this fundamental survival issue. Asteroids.
The voyage will span 1.8 billion miles over 5.5 years
In a nutshell: The Europa Clipper mission is an important step in our understanding of potentially habitable worlds beyond Earth. By studying Europa's composition, internal structure, and potential for hosting organic compounds, scientists hope to gain insights into the prevalence of habitable environments in our solar system and beyond.