They Found Something Under the Ice of Europa in 2005, and It Wasn't Water… | Part 1
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Jupiter's great red eye watches me. I can feel its weight upon me at all times. It follows my every move. It refuses to avert its gaze, even for a moment. No, it examines me closely, expectantly. An unblinking, cyclopean giant. Maybe it doesn't want us here, trekking across the icy surface of one of its moons. Maybe we are upsetting the largest planet in the solar system.

If Jupiter doesn't want us on Europa, then that makes two of us. I don't want to be here either. I would rather enjoy my time back home instead of freezing on an impossible mission, drilling a hole in the moon of a distant planet. This isn't my ideal job, but it pays extraordinarily well. With how my life is back on Earth, a big paycheck changes the game. Payday won't be easy though, but this isn't my first rodeo. I can tough it up.

I can make it through. Space is already cold, but the frozen crust of Europa makes it even colder. Thankfully, our suits withstand these kinds of temperatures. Their internal heating systems keep me from completely freezing. I'm warm enough to do my work. People think that Earth doesn't care about space exploration anymore, but they couldn't be more wrong. Human beings have never stopped caring about the stars above.

We have an innate need to venture out into the cosmos, and we still do. We just don't broadcast it to the world anymore. The truth is that space exploration has advanced astronomically since the day we landed on the moon, or set up the International Space Station. We can send people further out into the darkness than ever before. That's how my crew and I are here, walking across the frozen surface of one of Jupiter's moons.

Scientists have believed that an entire ocean is underneath Europa's ice, and maybe signs of other life will be inside of it. It's enough for them to finally send people out to this moon, and I'm leading this particular dig. All we need to do is break through the ice and run tests on whatever we find.

A probe was secretly launched way back in 2005 to study Europa and see if there was really anything beneath its ice. Apparently, they liked what they found enough to send people here decades later, when we can finally send manned missions so far into space. I'm thankful for the radiation shield that was sent to hover between this moon and its planet. The device protects us from all the harsh radiation coming from Jupiter's surface.

While the planet itself might not be hospitable for life, this moon apparently has something to offer. We all stay in one of the habitation pods that was set up long before we got here. Each habitation pod is a house for anyone here working on the faraway moon. There are four set up near one another, but currently only ours is manned.

The pods provide beds, places to store our stockpiles of rations and supplies, showers, and other amenities to help us live here during our work. It's honestly wonderful to have a home when our actual homes are across the solar system. But I still don't want to get too comfortable here. We're doing challenging work in one of the most dangerous environments that someone can work in. Something we should never overlook or take for granted. It's something that we can be proud of.

I get ready for my day, preparing to work the machines that drill a large hole on this moon's icy surface. It's what our superiors want, and I'm determined to make them happy with our work. Mansur is my right-hand man in this faraway place, a perfect friend to have in such an unfamiliar environment. We can laugh, we can plan, and we can communicate well without speaking a word. I trust him. It's important to do that here.

where there's so few of us, and we have an important job to do. "Do you think it's true?" he asks. "Is what true? What they say about this place? Do you really think that there's an ocean of salt water beneath all of this ice? Never actually talked about it. Yet here we are, trying to discover it anyway. Some very smart people say that it's true, so I'm inclined to believe them." I say, honestly, "It's not my place to really question it, and we'll find out for ourselves soon enough anyway, won't we?"

There's no need to question it when we are going to get an answer. It's just a matter of time. Mansur shrugs, unimpressed by my response. He continues, speaking with a peculiar sense of wonder, like he's seeing something that I can't. I stay up at night to picture it, a sea beneath our feet, waves and currents, tides and crests. It keeps me up sometimes. I put my head down and I try to hear it. I try to smell the brine. You can.

"Of course not," he says. "But I like to imagine." "I like to picture sailing on a sea ocean, surrounded by the stars. That does sound magical," I say with a laugh. "Whatever we find down there, it's going to be monumental. Something that will be remembered for. Think of the famous explorers that used to discover Earth's oceans. We'll be like them. We'll be in the history books. That's what I am most looking for."

This job is more important than any other I've ever taken. We'll discover something that'll shape the world. Some guy speculated that there might be something else underneath the ice. Something more than just ocean. I laugh that off. Like what? I don't know. Kurt thought it could be like liquid gold or some other space mineral that would make people back on Earth rich. He says outer space and the things out here could spark a new gold rush and that we're the prospectors.

I'm not convinced and shrug it off. "I think Kurt has a big imagination and wants to get rich, but I don't think we'll find gold underneath the ice here." "What do you think we're going to find then?" Mancer laughs, not wanting to just drop the issue. He's so curious and so excited. "Morrison thinks it's extraterrestrial life." I give the most boring but most honest answer. "I think we're going to find sea water under the ice, just like they said."

Could there be extraterrestrial life swimming around in it? Of course. There are weird things in our ocean that we don't fully understand. So why not here too, I guess? "I hope it's a space shark," the answer says with a snicker. "A great big space shark. If we find it, we get to name it." I roll my eyes. "I'll let you come up with something." I visit the site where our machines tirelessly dig into Europa's icy shell. We've made a lot of progress on this frozen rock.

I'm really proud of what we've already accomplished. Soon enough, we'll breach through the ice and find whatever waits beneath. It hasn't been easy. Our best machinery, with some of the world's largest drills, has taken a long time to break through the thick frozen walls. The icy crust around Europa is between 15 and 25 kilometers, not something easily cracked open. Despite Europa's smaller size,

Our crew's scientists believe its ocean may hold twice as much water as Earth's. It's hard to wrap my head around that, which is why I leave it to the smarter people. The cosmos are mysterious and mind-bending. Dwelling on huge questions like that is a good way to go insane. So I do my best to avoid it. I just want to keep my head on straight and do my job. So far, so good. While I help operate another day of slowly drilling through the ice,

I think some more about Mansur's words. I just take it as gospel that it's some ocean down beneath the ice. But he raised some valid ideas. There could absolutely be some kind of alien life residing in Europa's frozen sea. I push the thought aside. I have to just keep focused on the work. After another 12-hour work shift, we turn off the drills and head back to the habitation pods.

It's nice having artificial gravity and oxygen that at least makes it feel more like home. We can strip off our suits and bask by the heat generators. I find a quiet room and read a book I brought with me. A horror book about deep space travelers finding an abandoned alien spacecraft. I read it front to back multiple times and wish I'd brought something else. The book isn't ideal for comfort, but it beats boredom.

So far, we've had a much easier time than the fictional astronauts. Mancer scurries into the room. He looks exasperated but excited. "What is it?" I ask. "We just heard something from back home. They say that another crew is coming to help," Mancer says, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "The more the merrier, I say." I'm a little annoyed.

We've been here for months. We've been working hard, tirelessly. And now some other people will show up once we've loosened it up for them? It's not fair that they'll be part of this. Contributing basically nothing. My thoughts must be plain as day on my face. What's the matter? You disagree? I just think they should let us get it done. We started it. We should be the ones to finish it. Oh, stop!

Mancer says with a laugh. "Forget about your glory. Forget about the credit. With more help and more equipment, we'll get off this icicle much sooner. Isn't that worth it?" "I'm not convinced. I've gotten used to this icicle, and I'd rather not split the paycheck with these newcomers." "Maybe we can breach the ice before they get here." Mancer stares at me, utterly shocked. "Wow. It means that much to you, doesn't it?"

"Shouldn't it?" I counter. "We've sacrificed so much already. Why split the rewards with people who've done nothing?" "We're going to still be paid." "It's not just about the money, Mansur. I want to be remembered. Most people on Earth don't even know that we're out here. When they do, I want my name attached to this piece of history forever. And I want our work to be recognized. We shouldn't have to share that with anyone." "I see your point." He's not very convincing.

He just wants to say whatever will get me to quiet down. "You really think that we can break through before they get here?" "We're close," I say. "We'll just take fewer breaks and readjust some equipment." "It's still going to take them some time to get here." "When they do, I want to tell them they're too late." "I want to show everyone that we did this." "Alright," Mancer says, still concerned. He's loyal though, and he always wants us to be on the same page.

even when he's apparently on a completely different chapter. I'm with you, of course. I'll get the crew to work extra hard. Maybe you're right. It might be nice to have those people come all of this way for nothing. That's the spirit. The possibility of having another team take their credit reinvigorated the crew. We can breach the ice of Europa before anyone else comes. I know we can. The crew operates the drills, lowering them deeper into the chasm in the ice.

We're pushing further and further until we find whatever is beneath this frosty shell. I stare across the frozen surface of Europa. The rest of the moon is nothing more than a grey waste. We've only disturbed a small section with our drilling. Maybe someday, after we've made our discoveries and been documented for all time, someone else will crack this moon open and really let it be the ocean that they claim it is. Thankfully, that'll be someone else's monumental task.

We're just the ones taking the first peak. I stare down at my boots and at the ice beneath them. It's still incredible that I'm atop miles and miles of ice. Even now, I'm not used to the idea that we could be standing on an entire unknown sea. I look harder, hoping to find some sort of frozen fish or a better look at the waters beneath. As usual, I only see myself. In the frozen sheet, I catch my reflection in the glinting beneath me.

but it seems too deep to be my reflection. I glance, making sure no one else is around, before I crouch down to peer closer. I rub my gloved hand across the moon's surface, brushing away the glare and the sheen. My reflection doesn't look much like me. It's not wearing my spacesuit. It's not following my movements when I make them. It's so deep, far deeper than it should be. It's just down there within the thick block of ice, frozen.

peering up at me with a permanent stare and a deranged smile. I fall backward. When I dare to look back, the frozen figure down there is gone. I'm gone. I look away from the ice and instead turn my attention to the largest distraction around: Jupiter. The planet's large, singular red eye still stares at me. It must have just seen what happened. It saw me get scared by something that's not even there. I don't know why, but I feel embarrassed.

even though no one saw me but the planet below. It was just some trick of delirium. I've been working too hard to get the drilling done in time. I just need rest. Yes, rest will do me a lot of good. The days after go by as usual, and I refuse to look down at the ice. I don't want to see what I saw before. I don't want to remember the images caused by my fatigue, but they haunt me at night. Thankfully, something comes to Europa to distract me.

even if I don't like it. Light spills out of the sky as the new crew's ship arrives. I hate the sight of the ship landing nearby. It's an insult to everyone that's already here, and I can feel the collective aggravation of my crew around me. None of us need this backup, and none of us want it either. No one asked for them to send the cavalry, and it's disrespectful that they think we need it. I just wish we had finished digging. They're here.

and the ice still isn't breached. They're going to help us with the work that we're almost finished with. My crew tries to give them a polite greeting though, as they disembark from their spacecraft and move toward the habitation pods. The pod that's next to ours will serve as their quarters, but I didn't clean up for them. The leader moves toward me in his space suit, taking in the surrounding sights. He clicks on the radio, and I hear his voice through my headset when he comes close.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" None of us even crack a smile. He looks so refreshed, so well rested. While we've been toiling away, drilling through miles of ice, none of us share his sunny disposition. "And I've been looking forward to coming here to Europa to lend you all a hand. Or in this case, 24 more hands." No one laughs, and again, no one smiles. Gavin Creel's smile falters a little.

Maybe he's realizing that we aren't the audience that he's hoping for. "Do we look like we need more hands?" I ask him, glancing at his eleven other crewmates. "We've been doing just fine." "I'm sure you've been doing a great job," he says with a fake friendliness. "And I can't wait to see the progress you've made. We're not here to get in the way, just to help." "We didn't ask for your help," Mancer says, stepping up beside me in support.

Kreel shrugs his shoulders and flashes that forced smile. And yet help is here anyway. It wasn't my call either, guys. The powers that be thought it would be good for you all to get some assistance. You know them. It's all about timetables and the bottom line. We're not here to insult you. We're just following orders. As far as I'm concerned, we're just here to fall in line. Just tell us where you want us.

"I want you gone and on your way back to Earth," I say, and I hear it leave my mouth even more harshly than I intend. Still, I continue. "You want to help? That's how you do it. We've got this covered. Sorry you wasted a trip out here. Maybe you can find some water in one of the other 94 moons orbiting Jupiter?" Commander Kreel smiles and laughs again, but there's not even fake friendliness this time. No.

The laugh is one of irritation, and the smile on his face curls venomously. I'm afraid we can't do that. I get that you have a job to do. So do we. I would rather that we work together. I was willing to figure that out, but if you're going to become a problem, then we're just going to find a sensible solution. You are the only problem here. We've got this under control. Your employers disagree. If they thought you were doing good work, we wouldn't need to be here, would we?

I'm done listening to him. I don't waste another word speaking to him. Instead, I stomp away toward our habitation pod, just relieved to not have to look at the faces of these strangers. It's not right for them to be here. It's not fair. Mansur is behind me, having apparently followed me into the pod. He grabs hold of my shoulder and twists me around. "Look, this isn't what you wanted. I get it. I didn't want it either. But don't you think maybe we have little choice here?

"The people upstairs want us all to work together, right?" I can't stop shaking my head. "The people upstairs aren't upstairs at all. Our bosses are like 400 million miles away. Who are they to tell us whether or not we're doing a good job here? They don't have a clue!" Mansur takes a long breath, and I can tell he wants me to do the same. I refuse and hold all of my boiling anger inside. I shouldn't have to concede to these new arrivals.

Send a transmission to Earth. Tell them the people that they sent are incompetent and slowing us down. That's how we convince them. If they're so worried about the bottom line, then we need to make them think that these people are putting it at risk. I'm not going to do that, Manser says. My anger must be very evident, because he quickly stammers out an explanation before I can start screaming. I won't lie to them. That's not the kind of person I am. It's not a lie. It's an inevitability.

My brain knows that he's making sense, but my pride is hearing nothing but betrayal. Still...

I try to put aside my ego and hear him out. "Whether or not they finish it with us, this is our mission. We got here first. We've dug the hole to near completion. No one is going to take that away from us. It's well documented. History doesn't care about truth sometimes," I counter. "Claiming the reward requires someone to be there at the end." Days pass and I do my best to deter the new crew from impeding our work. I don't want them anywhere near our drilling.

Commander Creel says that he respects that and is keeping his men away, but I can see how annoyed he is. I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, I have the seniority. Are you sure that you don't want our help? He asks beside me. We're here to drill. We've been briefed on this moon. We know that the ice is thick, 10 to 15 miles deep. It would speed things up along if we... About this place. I say coldly. You just got here.

Those are the options. I snap, more harshly than I mean to, but I don't regret it.

We're not just astronauts. We're not just diggers. We're scuba divers too. And we don't need any other sailors coming on board our ship once we reach the ocean down there. Commander Creel backs up. Fine, but I've already told the higher-ups that you are uncooperative. I'm just maintaining quality control. I say bitterly. I don't want anyone getting in the way of our work. It's too important. Creel scoffs again. Fine. Three more cycles pass and the hole is finished.

The ice has given way to a much different form of water. One that's flowing and splashing about at the bottom of the abyss we dug. I only shake hands with my own crew. They're the people that deserve the credit. They're the people that made all of this possible. I ignore Kreel and his ilk. They are only here to witness our accomplishment. "Congratulations!" Kreel calls over. I can't help but smile when I hear the bitterness in his voice. He hates that we did this without them.

We proved that they don't even need to be here. I want to get a better look at our work, at what we did on our own with no help. I take our lift down the trench we made in the ice and get to the very bottom, where we finally punctured a hole completely through the shell. Mansur offers to go down with me, but I want to see it on my own. After so much time and so much work, I want a moment alone with the fruits of our labor.

I can hardly believe my own eyes when I see that the ice has made way for actual moving water. It's finally done! The water shifting and slapping in the hole certainly sounds like the rush of the sea. The currents are darker than any ocean I've ever seen though, even blacker than the dark hues of the Atlantic back home. I can't wait until we can bring some equipment down to study it. I know that Creel and his crew will want to take charge. They've already made that clear.

But now, it's our responsibility. The black water suddenly surges upward and rains down on me. My suit should be completely isolated and keep it out, but I can feel droplets somehow slip through, seeping through the material. The drops of liquid are so cold when they touch me, sending a shiver down my spine. I don't understand how they got in, but I stare down in awe at the black currents shifting and raging beneath me.

The ocean down there has been frozen and contained for potentially millions, if not billions of years. And now we've released it. It's the most important thing I've ever done in my life. Yes. A voice speaks and the same shiver shoots through me again. I'm startled and look around, but it's just me in the chasm. At first, I think I'm just imagining it, but then the voice speaks again. It's not coming from the sea, and it's not coming from above.

It's not coming from a radio. It's not even coming through my eardrums. The chilling voice is inside of my skull. You are truly incredible.