The Juice Mission to Jupiter

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Jupiter's moons are pulled and squeezed by the gravity of Jupiter. That creates a friction which generates energy inside the moon. And that keeps the water warm and liquid. These are potentially habitable environments completely different from Earth. They rely on this energy that's being put into the moon by the gravitational forces of Jupiter.

The European Space Agency’s long-awaited Juice Mission is about to blast off for Jupiter’s moons. Its goal: to find out whether the oceans below their icy surfaces could be capable of supporting life. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Stuart Clark about why moons are the new Mars for scientists seeking life, how magnetic fields can help us understand these mysterious lunar oceans, and what Juice might mean for our understanding of life beyond the solar system. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod