ideally, "by 2019 we will know for sure if there is life outside Earth"

WASHINGTON - In late May, a NASA-funded robot successfully navigated one of the world's deepest sinkholes. The mission could be a prelude to a future mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, believed to contain a liquid water ocean. The Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer (DEPTHX) is a 3,300-pound, computerized, underwater vehicle that makes its own decisions. With more than 100 sensors, 36 onboard computers, and 16 thrusters and actuators, it decides where to swim, which samples to collect and how to get home.

"The successful tests in Mexico pave the way for a trip to Antarctica's Lake Bonney in late 2008. There, conditions more closely resemble those on Europa," said John Rummel, senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "We're learning how to explore Europa by first exploring analogue environments here on Earth."

“Plants, animals, fungus, microbes and bacteria are the known forms of life. But there may be additional branches to the tree on Europa. Learning more about life tells you more about our own legacy and the benefits in health and medicine that could bring.”