Caption: 
Southwest Research Institute recently delivered the MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration (MASPEX) instrument for integration into NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. MASPEX has a mass resolution hundreds of times finer than anything that’s flown to space before to study the atmospheric gases and surface materials of Europa. This icy Jovian moon harbors a suspected subsurface ocean with the potential to support microbial life. The advanced capabilities of MASPEX can provide chemical clues on conditions and processes that occur within the depths of Europa.

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