Britney SchmidtBritney Schmidt, an astrobiologist, sat in a small yellow tent, carefully studying the handful of monitors set up before her. They displayed a live-stream of telemetry data, sonar readings and a video feed from a robotic vehicle exploring the oceanic underbelly of Antarctica’s ice near the United States’ McMurdo Station. The exploration is part of an effort to ultimately search for life in the alien ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. The mission will also help us understand the physics of melting glaciers, and prepare for sea-level rise.
