NASA RULES OUT PROBE TO JUPITER'S ICY MOON EUROPA!

April 24, 1997
The Orlando Sentinel

Cape Canaveral, Fla. - Two weeks after crowing about "mind-blowing pictures" of a possible life-sustaining ocean on Europa, NASA officials decided Jupiter's icy moon wasn't worth the trip.

In what space experts called a strange decision, NASA on Wednesday passed over two proposals to send probes to Europa. Two Europa missions were part of 34 proposals submitted to NASA for its Discovery Program, which is the agency's project to fund "lower-cost, highly focused scientific spacecraft." NASA chose five projects as finalists for funding. Projects to study Mercury, Venus, solar wind, comets, and Mars' moons were picked as finalists for funding.

"It's kind of a strange decision," said American University astronomy professor Richard Berendzen, who two weeks ago appeared on "Nightline" with NASA officials to rave about the latest Europa photos taken by the Galileo space probe.

When the photos were revealed April 9, NASA astronomer Richard Terrile said, "These are really mind-blowing pictures. How often is an ocean discovered?" Berendzen said the photos meant Europa had the three main ingredients for life: water, hydrocarbons, and energy.

But NASA spokesman Doug Isbell said the Europa proposals "Just didn't make the cut."

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