In this chapter, the key technologies and the instrumentation required for the subsurface
exploration of ocean worlds are discussed. The focus is laid on Jupiter's moon Europa and …

The sublimation of water in the region of extremely low pressures and temperatures meets
increasing interest for the exploration of icy cosmic bodies. At temperatures below 130K, the …

Penetrator–ice plate impact subjected to dynamic loading constitutes many scientific
applications for ice, such as controlling ice disasters by penetrating the ice cover and then …

98% of Antarctica is covered by ice sheet with an average thickness of 2126 m. The
maximum thickness is 4897 m. Several scientific deep-drilling expeditions are being …

A key aspect for understanding the biological and biochemical environment of subglacial
waters, on Earth or other planets and moons in the Solar system, is the analysis of material …

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) facilitates planetary exploration by drawing needed
resources, such as water, from the local environment. This work presents a 3-step in-situ …

Accessing the potentially habitable subsurface waters of Ocean Worlds requires a robotic
ice probe (or" cryobot") to traverse tens of kilometers of ice with temperatures ranging from∼ …

Abstract The 'Ocean Worlds' of our Solar System are covered with ice, hence the water is not
directly accessible. Using melting probe technology is one of the promising technological …

The recently discovered water vapor plumes on Saturn's moon Enceladus, the polar caps of
planet Mars and the possible ice volcanism on the Jovian satellites call for suitable …

A CO 2 laser can be used to melt ice. Here we use a CO 2 laser at 10.6 μm, a wavelength at
which ice strongly absorbs, to drill (via melting) through ice. The resulting drilling speed is …