HONG KONG: A San Antonio company is joining NASA in a mission to find out if we’re alone in the universe. It’s part of a nearly decade-long project bringing millions of dollars into the local economy.
The trip will take an unmanned shuttle to Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter. According to NASA, Europa is one of the places in the solar system most likely to harbor alien life.
San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute has won the right to produce two of the 31 pieces of equipment that will be found on board that vessel. One is a Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (MASPEX), the other an Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS).
The two machines are designed detect and analyze steam vents shooting out from Europa’s liquid ocean for signs of organic molecules.
“I think you’re looking at people’s dreams being met and having a chance of a lifetime, literally,” said Dr. Scott Bolton, Associate VP of the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute.
Neither of the two machines use brand new technology. But Bolton said, in order to win the contract, they had to prove that they could build them smaller, cheaper, and more reliably than anyone else.
“How much mass, how much money, how much time does it take to build it, and is it likely to work?” Bolton said.
The contract will provide unspecified millions of dollars to the company to use in manufacturing the technology. More importantly, Bolton says it opens up the possibility for future research.
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