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Europa Jupiter

Ganymede Jupiter

Earth

Callisto Jupiter

Europa

So far we know of at least 7 Ocean Worlds

sampling

Like Earth, some of these oceans are salty and cover a rocky seafloor.

cross-section

other ocean worlds

But it’s not the only one

Seawater flowing into cracks in the seafloor might become heated and react with minerals in the rocks.

fluid flow

looking for life

Sampling these jets might tell us if the conditions exist to support life or if life exists beneath the ice.

Earth is an Ocean World,

vent plume

Plumes from vents would likely circulate through the ocean much differently than they do on Earth. This is because Earth's ocean is heated from above by sunlight and other ocean worlds rotate faster or slower than Earth.

and several other planetary bodies in the solar system have oceans under a thick crust of ice.

Jupiter's Moon Europa

Tidal forces  caused by the host planet might deform and crack the ice crust.

circulation

tidal forces

And if we find life there,

Hot, chemical-rich fluids could then flow back to the surface. On Earth, these hydrothermal flows provide "food" for a diversity of micro-organisms.

jets

Jets of water through the cracks provide an opportunity to sample the ocean by flying a probe through them or by landing on the surface nearby.

it could mean that life is abundant throughout the Universe.

Triton Neptune

Titan Saturn

Enceladus Saturn