Sending a Rover to Ganymede

There’s so much to see and do on Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede: You could tour the icy craters, gaze at glowing red auroras, snap photos of volcanoes spewing ice, and end the day by exploring the underground ocean. Maybe visiting Ganymede could be a reality — if only it was closer to Earth and had a warmer temperature! So instead of traveling there ourselves, let’s send an RPS-powered rover. The rover will sample the icy surface, record volcanic activity, and investigate Ganymede’s auroras, which are caused by its magnetic field. This feature makes Ganymede unique, because it is the only moon known to have a magnetic field. Equally intriguing, the subsurface ocean, and the oxygen in its atmosphere, make Ganymede a good place to look for evidence of life. With Ganymede’s dim lighting, and a compact design for the rover, RPS power is a better option than solar panels for this mission. The special “power” I’ll contribute to this mission is being an inclusive team leader. I’ll create a supportive environment, listening to each team member and valuing everyone’s thoughts equally. An inclusive team is more likely to succeed — working together, we can conquer the hardest challenges. With Ganymede’s underground ocean, glowing red auroras, and volcanoes spewing ice, it’s too bad we can’t just hop on the next plane to go visit it ourselves. Instead, let’s use our “power to explore” to send an RPS-powered rover there. What else will we find on this fascinating, faraway world?