Space Exploration

Joshua flies to Europa

Tribute to the legacy of C. A. Clark

It was a lovely summer evening. In the local technological university courtyard, Tanita, Louise, and Esteban sat at a coffee table, sipping their coffee and discussing yesterday’s football match.

Suddenly, Joshua appeared. He looked vigorous and inspired. All eyes turned to him.

— How are you? — Tanita, Louise, and Esteban asked simultaneously.

— Dear friends! — Joshua replied. — I must tell you something!

— Is someone ill? — Tanita inquired.

— I have made a vital decision! — Joshua announced.

— Is everyone alive and well then? — Tanita reiterated.

— I’m going to Europa! — Joshua exclaimed. It seemed he overlooked Tanita’s question.

— Which country, specifically? — Louise asked.

— It’s not a country. I’m going to Europa, which is one of Jupiter’s moons. — Joshua explained.

— What?! — Tanita couldn’t believe it.

— What a terrible joke! It’s not funny at all! — Louise frowned.

— What the heck?! — Esteban grumbled.

— A few weeks ago, I received an email from an acquaintance of mine, Beatrice. — Joshua began.

— Who’s that? — Louise asked.

— She’s a unique creature, somewhat resembling both a mermaid and a human. We met during my expedition to Loch Ness, where I was conducting scientific research. — Joshua continued to explain.

Tanita and Louise exchanged meaningful glances.

— So, she wrote that she’d been invited on an expedition to Europa. She has supernatural abilities. She can stay underwater on Europa without any special equipment! But she needs an assistant — a scientist studying the underwater world. And she recommended me!

Silence gripped them all for a moment. Then Tanita broke the silence.

— Listen, isn’t this dangerous? — she asked.

— Why on Earth do you need this damn Europa? — exclaimed Louise. Is it far from us?

— Europa is located approximately 6,500,000 km from Jupiter. Note that this distance is greater than the distance from Earth to the Moon. Quite a thing.

— Joshua replied.

— And what are you going to do there? — Louise persisted.

— Well, man, what’s the point? How much are they going to pay you? — chimed in Esteban.

— I don’t know, I’ve never been interested. It’s not about the money at all. — said Joshua with dignity.

— I see. You just want to become famous. Of course, the first person to visit a potentially habitable planet. — Tanita said sarcastically.

— So you know that they are supposed to find life there? — Joshua was slightly surprised.

— Yes, I do. I know that Europa is the first planet that can be called the second planet in our Solar System with life. — Tanita confirmed.

— Exactly! It is covered with a layer of ice, and beneath it is a very deep ocean, enveloping the entire planet. Scientists believe its depth could reach 100 km. So, if there is liquid water, it’s entirely possible that life could be found. Just imagine — extraterrestrial life! — Joshua exclaimed, filled with excitement.

Joshua’s face was illuminated with an inner light. Everyone in the patio noticed it, and no one could take their eyes off him. Suddenly, a young girl quickly stood up from one of the tables and ran towards him.

— Allow me to take a selfie with you. Please!!!

Joshua agreed. The girl took several selfies, hugged him, and, quickly kissing him on the cheek, she ran back to her table. The girls and boys sitting with her immersed themselves in viewing the pictures, animatedly discussing them, and posting them on Facebook and Instagram.

— Well, that’s a success! — Tanita said again, with sarcasm. In reality, she was perturbed about Joshua. She knew how dangerous this expedition could be.

— You know, I realized I’ve been waiting for this chance my whole life! — Joshua exclaimed.

— Well, yes, it’s fantastic. Spaceships cruising through the endless universe and all that. Congratulations, man! — said Esteban.

— I can’t imagine a more grandiose mission than an expedition to search for extraterrestrial life. If we find it there, it will dramatically impact our entire civilization! — Joshua exclaimed again.

— Indeed! — said Tanita in the same tone. She was increasingly worried about Joshua. — Couldn’t they send someone other than you? I’m very worried about you.

— Indeed, this is very dangerous! — Louise joined Tanita.

— Yes, that’s right! Space flights are always associated with danger. But the goal is worth the risk. Even if I never return, I won’t regret anything. — Joshua said firmly.

— Perhaps you’ll even be rewarded… posthumously! — Tanita said grimly.

Suddenly, Louise burst into tears. But no one tried to console her. Joshua also wiped away a stoic tear.

— Relax, man, everything will be fine! After your return, we’ll still hang out together! — Esteban said.

It seemed like he was also on the verge of tears. They embraced with emotion. It was apparent now that both were shedding tears.

— When’s the launch? — Tanita asked. She knew that trying to dissuade Joshua was futile.

— In six months. — Joshua replied.

— Well, at least you have time to prepare. Who else is going on the mission?— Tanita inquired.

— There’s one more crew member — Christian. He’s also acquainted with Beatrice; he’s a prodigy. He’s a teenager, but he has the mind of an adult. But he won’t leave the ship; his duty is to monitor us through instruments. — Joshua explained.

— What will you be doing there? — Louise asked.

— Beatrice and I are planning to dive into the water. — Joshua replied.

— Wow, man! Cool! — Esteban exclaimed in admiration. — What’s the temperature there? — Louise inquired.

— Slightly above freezing Celsius. The water, as I’ve noticed, is liquid. That’s the key. — Joshua said.

— I think you said that the entire ocean is covered with ice? — Louise reminded.

— Yes, that’s correct. — Joshua confirmed.

— But how will you end up under the ice? Is it thick? — Louise persisted.

— In many places, yes. But in some places, not so much. We will have special equipment to drill a hole in the ice and descend below. — Joshua explained.

— This entire ice layer is filled with cracks; there are many photos online. They probably won’t have any trouble accessing the water. — Tanita added.

— So, you’re saying it’s near Jupiter? — Louise asked.

— Exactly! — Joshua confirmed.

— But it’s so far away! As far as I know, Mars is much closer to Earth, but even there, it’s very cold. Is that true? — Louise inquired.

— Right. Jupiter is about 15 times farther from Earth than Mars. — Joshua said.

— But then it must be freezing there. How can there be liquid water on Europa? Does it have a hot core like Earth? — Louise asked.

— No, Europa is much smaller than Earth. And even smaller than Mars. It’s almost the same size as the Moon. — Joshua explained again.

— So, where does the liquid water come from there? — Louise continued to question.

— Yes, that’s an interesting question. There are several hypotheses. The most credible one is that Europa is heated by Jupiter’s gravitational field. Rotating around it, Europa alternately stretches towards it and compresses. This internal stress leads to the generation of heat. At the very least, it’s certain that beneath the ice layer lies a liquid and very deep ocean! — Joshua concluded.

For a while, everyone fell silent. Above the patio’s square hole, the birds’ songs could be heard.

— Dude, I’ll be honest with you, I envy you. In a good way, but I envy you. — Esteban said thoughtfully.

— Who knows, maybe soon, Jupiter flights will become as routine as airplane flights from one continent to another. — Joshua said.

— Funny… — Tanita also looked pensive.

— What exactly? — Louise didn’t understand.

— We live in remarkable times, Joshua, don’t you have a sense of déjà vu? — Tanita asked.

— Déjà vu? Hmm… — Joshua didn’t understand.

— Remember “2010: Odyssey Two”? — Tanita said.

— To be honest, no, I haven’t read it. I only read the first novel in that series. I started the next one, but it wasn’t as interesting, unlike “2001: A Space Odyssey.” What happened there? — Joshua asked.

— Part of the action took place on Europa. — Tanita said.

— Seriously? — Joshua was surprised.

— Exactly. And then this happened: the Chinese unexpectedly sent an expedition precisely where you’re going. They sent a spacecraft there called “Tian.” And indeed, they discovered life there! — Tanita reported.

— Oh my God! Now I really have to read that! — Joshua exclaimed.

— Wow, guys! I want to go to Europa too! This is incredibly cool! — Esteban exclaimed with enthusiasm.

— But what happened next? — Louise asked.

— The story took a dramatic and even tragic turn. — Tanita replied.

She took a theatrical pause.

Everyone waited for the continuation, but she continued to hold the pause, teasing her friends. Finally, Louise couldn’t take it anymore.

— Well, don’t torture us! What happened next?!

— The astronauts didn’t notice as a strange creature emerged from the water. It looked more like a giant tree than an animal… — Tanita began.

— And?! — Louise and Esteban cried out again.

— This creature seemed to be not very intelligent. At least, there was no reason to think so. Its reaction was very primitive. It existed in conditions of limited light, which was an essential source of energy for it. And when Tian drilled a hole in the ice layer, this creature instinctively moved toward the light source. Reaching the surface, it attacked the spacecraft… — Tanita said.

— And what happened next?! — Louise and Esteban exclaimed once more.

— The spacecraft crashed into the water and broke apart. All the astronauts died instantly except one. — Tanita said darkly.

— But did he survive? — Louise asked with hope.

— It was Professor Chang who happened to be outside the spacecraft at that moment. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything but passively observe this tragedy. — Tanita said.

— But did he survive?! — Louise asked again with tension.

— Unfortunately, no. Even though another spacecraft, the “Leonov,” was near Jupiter at the time. On board was Dr. Floyd, who was personally acquainted with Professor Chang. — Tanita said.

— But why? Couldn’t they save him?! — Louise was dismayed.

— It was impossible. Chang had only a limited supply of oxygen, and the astronauts from the Leonov simply couldn’t save him in time. They could only communicate with Chang until his oxygen ran out. — Tanita said quietly.

— What a nightmare…! — Louise looked horrified.

— Professor Chang’s last request was to name this creature in his honor. — Tanita said.

— Did they do that? — Esteban asked.

— Most likely, yes. — Tanita said.

Silence hung again. Esteban was the first to speak.

— I think Professor Chang didn’t die in vain. What a great guy he was! I even envy him a bit. In a good way, of course.

Everyone fell silent again. Then Joshua broke the silence.

— I believe Professor Chang made his name immortal. He gave his life for science, progress, and the future of humanity. We should be proud of such people. And you know what? — Joshua asked, looking at everyone.

The gazes of everyone in the patio were fixed on him. They all felt something extraordinary was happening, something they would never forget.

— If I have to choose between my safety and the opportunity to do something truly important for science and all of us, I’ll choose the latter. Our destiny, our calling, lies out there!

Joshua raised his eyes to the square hole in the patio roof, where the first stars were beginning to shine, unusually bright and large.

Louise cried again. Tanita smiled mysteriously and sadly.

The girls from the neighboring tables rushed to Joshua, asking him to take selfies with him. One by one, their boyfriends approached him and shook his hand, looking him in the eyes, wishing him success on his mission.

Esteban lit a cigarette dreamily. Somewhere up there, a bright point could be seen among the stars, moving from one edge of the sky to another.

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