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Hydrobot/Cryobot Under the Ice of Europa

This artist rendering shows a proposed ice-penetrating cryobot and a submersible hydrobot that could be used to explore the ice-covered ocean on Jupiter's large satellite, Europa. Scientists propose first testing these instrument-ladened robots by sending them to Lake Vostok, a subglacial lake in Antarctica.

The cryobot would melt its way through the ice cover and then deploy a hydrobot, a self-propelled underwater vehicle that would analyze the chemical composition of the ice and water in a search for signs of life. This proposed mission to Lake Vostok and Europa is being discussed by scientists and engineers at JPL, NASA, the National Science Foundation, universities and other agencies around the world.