Greetings friends. As those of you who are kind enough to visit me often will know, I have been on sabbatical. Although, strictly speaking ‘sabbatical’ means rest from work and this has hardly been that. Still, I have missed my frequent interface with Renderosity denizens and will be comforted by a return to the fold. For my return debut, I am revisiting one of my favorite themes regarding the potential for discovering new life forms on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Europa is Jupiter’s sixth moon and information from various satellite flyby missions have led to the almost universal conclusion that under the ice shell; the moon supports a global liquid ocean. Such a condition is possible due to enormous heat energy generated by tidal flexing. Recent studies (most notably from the University of Arizona) suggest that Europa should have enough oxygen-rich water to support not only simple microorganisms but also complex life. Of course, such a condition is not an exclusive requirement for the existence of life, as has been amply demonstrated by geothermal ocean vents on our planet. ‘Ice Station Europa’ envisions, at some far future date, the establishment of a permanent research station on Europa able to study the sub-ice oceans directly. Such a station would be created long after prior missions had discovered life in the oceans. One of the things I wanted to convey is how BIG Jupiter is. From Europa, the planet would fill the sky. The well-known ‘red spot’ alone (shown in the image) is so large it could contain three of our planet earths. Ice station Europa is also big. I envision it to be about ½ mile in length. Permanent families are in residence there. The station is self-supported. Oxygen is generated and recycled from internal vegetation and crops. Many necessities are also provided by the ocean under the ice shell. I also plan to do an upload showing the inside of the facility with Jupiter visible in the background through the windows. Created in Ultra Fractal