Plot thickens on icy Europa

Plus: The US will conduct no anti-satellite tests in space Apr 20, 2022 [View in browser]( Astronomers may have just taken a significant step in sussing out whether Jupiter's icy moon Europa is habitable. A surprising connection between the moon’s frozen crust and Greenland’s ice sheet (here on Earth) has provided new insight: Shallow pools of salty water within the thick ice shell may be commonplace on Europa, potentially supporting simple life forms. That's incredibly exciting, but it also sounds extremely cold, which is why I guess I won’t be coming with the rest of you to Jupiter’s shivery moon. But before touchdown on Europa's icy surface, you can watch today’s video to see how engineers in Ireland devised an ingenious way to repair a bridge that must legally wobble. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s pick up the pace. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Here's how engineers fixed the bridge that must legally wobble]( The famous "shake" needed to remain intact. [Here's how engineers fixed the bridge that must legally wobble]( SCIENCE [Water in Europa's surface might be in reach of its first visiting spacecraft]( [An image of Jupiter's moon, Europa.]( Alien life in our own neighborhood. It's an exciting possibility that we might reveal as fact on multiple planetary bodies like Mars. But scientists think Jupiter's moon Europa could also be a major potential breeding ground for extraterrestrial life. - Its deep saltwater ocean intrigues, though its thick and icy outer shell — which is a dizzying 12 to 19 miles (20 to 30 km) thick, could become a barrier for future sampling missions. But now, [a new study provides evidence]( that the icy shell may be less obstructive than we thought. Life has a shot? The researchers based their new study on ice-penetrating radar observations that captured the formation of a "double ridge" feature in Greenland, perhaps signaling many water pockets hiding under similar surface features of Europa. So instead of digging through the ice shell of the frigid moon, forthcoming missions to Europa might confirm water — [and possibly signs of alien life itself]( — inside of the shells, in shallow bodies of liquid water, hiding right before our eyes. [Read More]( HEALTH [Geoengineering could raise the risk of malaria for 1 billion people]( [A mosquito sucking blood from human skin.]( A team of researchers [has found that geoengineering]( the climate would result in repercussions for the health of billions of people at the risk of malaria. - The study focused on solar radiation management (SRM), a “quick fix” to reduce the impacts of climate change. One of the methods is to inject aerosols into the stratosphere that reflect incoming sunlight, enabling us to "pause" global warming temporarily. Engineering the climate. The team used climate models to simulate what malaria transmission could look like in two future scenarios, with medium or high levels of global warming, with and without geoengineering. While scenarios revealed that malaria risk could shift significantly between regions, the high-warming scenario showed that one billion extra people were at risk of malaria in a geoengineered world. That’s a lot. This further demonstrates that geoengineering remains poorly understood, and it could introduce a range of [new risks to people and ecosystems](. [Read More]( CULTURE [It's official. The US will conduct no anti-satellite tests in space]( [A tactical representation of satellites in space (left), and the White House (right).]( In space, you only get one shot at peace. And every weapon used up there makes it more of a long shot. This is presumably why the White House [officially pledged to abstain from]( anti-satellite missile tests in space, according to an announcement from Vice President Kamala Harris from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. - The Vice President says it's a move to establish and encourage a positive precedent against the weaponization of space between major global powers. This came amid a new U.S. Space Priorities Framework from the White House that spoke to the country's aims to expand its national security architecture into the final frontier. A first step. "As part of bolstering space mission assurance, the United States will leverage new commercial space capabilities and services to meet national security requirements and will deepen the integration of U.S. national security space capabilities and activities with those of our allies and partners," read the framework. The Biden administration is calling [for other countries to do the same]( however, it’s unclear which countries will actually follow suit. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS The U.S. government has committed to ending anti-satellite missile testing. Do you think that’s a wise decision? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes, it’s a good start.]( [No, it’s an optics of weakness.]( [I don’t know what to think.]( [Idealistic. War will follow humanity everywhere.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked whether the privatization of space can eclipse NASA. The majority of you responded positively, stating that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Yes, and that’s not a bad thing. 42% The key is a joint effort of private-sector capabilities and lucrative contracts. 31% Hold your horses. Let’s focus on Earth first. 14% No. Billionaires with the deepest pockets shouldn’t own space travel. 13% INNOVATION [A company can make drinking water from nothing but air and sunlight]( [Hydropanel.]( In a special feature for PLANET SOLVERS, IE’s Earth Day 2022 edition, Senior Writer Deena Theresa interviews Thomas Borns, who is building [solar-powered hydropanels that condense]( clean, pollutant-free drinking water from the air. - “While techniques for condensing water out of the air have been in use since ancient times, most modern condensers designed to produce large amounts of water need to be connected to the electricity grid, substituting one problem for another one,” writes Theresa. “But, what if there were a solution? What if you can pull water out of thin air without using additional carbon or being connected to an energy grid?” [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is a story of the earth. ” Rachel Carson in “Holiday” July 1958 AND ANOTHER THING... - Scientists [want to probe the gas giant Uranus]( with a flagship mission by 2032. - A man born without sight [has a rare form of synaesthesia]( in which he feels numbers, days of the week, and months as different textures. (New Scientist $) - The sun sent out one of its most powerful flares over the Easter weekend, and [more are likely to follow](. - Can gravity, pressure, and other elemental forces [save us from becoming]( a battery-powered civilization? (The New Yorker) - A small French town [is thrust into the light]( by bioluminescent organisms. - Mining fuels the modern world, but it also causes vast environmental damage. [What would happen if we tried to do without it]( (BBC) - It’s likely that following an Elon Musk takeover of Twitter, we will see an exodus from the board. Musk has been quite frank about this, [stating that the board will be paid $0](. Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe [here.]( © Copyright 2021 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]