Why is NASA sending missions to Jupiter's moon Europa?

NASA is sending missions to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, because it might have liquid water underneath its icy surface, and we know life likes water!

Imagine you have a frozen lake in your backyard, but under the ice, there's a warm pool. That’s kind of what Europa looks like. It has a thick layer of ice, just like the frozen lake, but below that ice, scientists think there's a big ocean, maybe even bigger than Earth's oceans!

• Water is important for life: On Earth, we find life almost everywhere there’s water. Maybe Europa has life too!
• It might be easier to explore: Going all the way to Jupiter is a big trip, but Europa is close enough that NASA can send robots to check it out.
• We want to know if we're alone: If there's life on Europa, that means life could exist in many places in our solar system, even far away from Earth!

So, by studying Europa, NASA hopes to learn more about water, life, and the universe!