The Europa SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) is a unique instrument designed to collect material from the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa without landing on it. It will employ new technologies developed at CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) to analyze where on Europa’s surface each particle originated and its composition during NASA’s upcoming Europa Clipper mission.
Below are some fun facts about this amazing instrument:
Pure gold: The instrument is plated with an extremely thin (2 micron) layer of 99.99% pure gold—a much higher grade than jewelry—to seal off potential contaminants that could come from its metal structure.
Roamin’ Ralphie: Because SUDA was designed and built at LASP, Ralphie—the CU Boulder buffalo mascot—is engraved onto the instrument’s sensor head.
Hardest substance: LASP and JILA, another CU Boulder institute, co-developed a method to coat SUDA’s target with iridium, the hardest known metal.
Student team members: At LASP, a team of about 60 scientists and engineers worked with nearly two dozen CU Boulder students to design and build SUDA
3 billion km (1.8 billion mi): The approximate distance Europa Clipper will travel across our solar system.
Cloud of dust: SUDA will measure the speed, direction, and composition of particles floating in a cloud of dust that encircles Europa.
Double the water: Europa’s salty ocean may contain twice as much water of all of Earth’s oceans combined. This is considered the most promising place to look for life beyond our planet.
Top public university: CU Boulder is the #1 recipient of NASA research awards to public universities
Watch the launch: CU’s space minor program will be hosting a watch party on the main campus. Join them or watch the launch online at NASA’s Europa Clipper Launch | NASA+
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is on a mission to revolutionize human understanding of the cosmos by pioneering new technologies and approaches to space science. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs, backed by superb data analysis, reliable mission operations, and skilled administrative support.
