Quote:
Originally Posted by _Richard_
there is lots of water.. europeans proved that with the deep impact probe
|
They didn't find liquid water or ice - they found water molecules like the kind of water molecules you mind find in the desert. They also don't know if the water came from inside the moon (lots of water) or if it was deposited by a comet and is all but dried up. Since the moon has no atmosphere any water it might have had or has is mostly evaporated.
Europa on the other hand seems to have more water than the earth. Its surface appears to be ever changing and it resembles some ice sheets on earth. Scientists think that an ocean of water exists below the ice, and that the heat that it gets comes from the gravitational forces of Jupiter (called tidal flexing) that are constantly bending and pulling at the moon, creating friction and keeping everything nice and toasty.
Liquid Water? Faint sun? Minerals such as salt? Arthur C Clarke might be right after all.