NASA may make swimming robots to find aliens

Search for alien life has been favourite pastime as well as matter of scientific interest for mankind. Earth is teeming with life. Most part of the blue planet is covered by water. While searching for life on other planets, we often search for signs of presence of water. Because wherever there is water, there's likely to be life.

Europa, the satellite of planet Jupiter and Enceladus, the satellite of Saturn are covered in ice. The very thick icy sheet goes several kilometres deep from the surface. Scientists think that there are enormous oceans of liquid water under this ice coating on these satellites. At least till now, we have only been able to make conjecturesabout strange sea creatures swimming in these uncharted oceans.

But now a concept design has proposed a novel solution to the problem of ice sheets several kilometres thick. Ethan Schaler, a robotics mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has put forth a new idea. Schaler’s Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (SWIM) concept was awarded $600,000 from NASA.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Schaler's concept involves sending dozens of mobile phone-sized swimming probe to Europa and releasing them in the water below the ice. But how can we penetrate kilometres of ice to reach the liquid ocean? By a cryobot.

This cryobot would have narrow ice-melting probes in which the swimming probes with be place. The narrow probe will melt ice and reach the ocean. And this will be the time to release swimming probes and gather data.

If the conept design gets developed into something concrete, then these probes may actually get sent to Europa. NASA is planning to make it happen by 2030.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE