NASA Has Plans To Visit Jupiter's Moon Europa For The Very First Time

Europa, we're coming for you.

The frozen moon of Jupiter, buried under an ice crust, has long been thought the most likely place to find life elsewhere in the galaxy.

Just as life on Earth probably started in the ocean, the water below Europa's ice may show signs of unique creatures.

As part of NASA's $18.5 billion 2016 budget request, approved by President Obama yesterday, the space agency plans to spend a proposed $30 million creating and sending an exploratory probe to Europa.

The unmanned mission would most likely have the probe measuring the ice shelf, as well as making an attempt to understand what might be hiding underneath.

If all goes according to plan, NASA hopes to have the mission up and running sometime during the 2020s.

And while NASA won't know exactly how much money they have to work with until Congress gives them a precise figure in October, space fanatics eagerly await potential discoveries.

If fish can survive 2,400 feet below the ice of Antartica, who's to say something isn't swimming in the waters of Europa?

Citations: NASA Europa Mission Gets White House Approval (Space)