Tomorrow evening after we have a final briefing, we will be heading out to the Atlantic Ocean to train with the submersible. This will be the last stage of the training program.
Strangely enough I find the idea of descending in the water to be terrifying. I don't understand why the idea of descending into the water is more terrifying than strapping myself into a rocket. I think it's something to do with the pressure of the water as opposed to the nothingness of space. Space just seems more peaceful than the violent ocean.
That being said, there is no room for my fear now. If the signs of life are as promising as I hope, then the submersible aspect of the mission is going to offer the best possible opportunity of finding it. If there is life on Europa it almost certainly resides deep beneath the icy surface in the icy ocean that resides beneath. The submersible vessels will provide the best possible opportunity to discover that life. The odds are it would be similar to the microbes that developed early in the waters on Earth, although if life is prevalent on Europa, then it could potentially be as advanced as the complicated creatures that reside deep in Earth's oceans.
In case anything goes wrong with the submersible I want to make sure to call Diego and Dad before my first dive. I don't want to tell them I will be in a submarine, there is no reason to alarm them especially considering the operation is being overseen by Nasa. Besides, we would not even be going that deep. Compared to some of the ocean exploration missions that take place on Earth the Europa dive would actually be pretty mild. Even though the submarine would need to go deep to get as close to the volcanic sea floor, the lower gravity on the moon means the submarine would not have to endure the pressure it would have if a dive to that depth took place on Earth, making for better maneuverability.
At least that is how it was explained to me in the briefing. Before now I have never paid much attention to submarines or the world of underwater exploration.
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Europa
FantascienzaIn order to embark on a mission to discover alien life on the icy moon of Jupiter Maria must leave her life on Earth behind, including her father and her seven-year-old son Diego. She thought the hardest part of the mission would be saying goodbye...
