Europa’s ice shell may stretch tens of kilometers thick
Models and radar plans for Europa put the outer ice shell at tens of kilometers thick in many places — a planetary-scale lid over whatever liquid lies deeper, not a thin skating rink.
Thickness varies with heat from below and ice strength; some regions may thin while others stay fortress-deep. Future landers and ice-penetrating radar must design for that uncertainty.
Shells define access. Europa’s kilometers of ice turn an ocean-moon companion into an engineering challenge as much as a scientific prize.
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