PLANETARY SCIENCE:
Another 'Ocean' for a Jovian Satellite?
Richard A. Kerr
Observations from the ground and the Galileo spacecraft suggest the existence of an ocean on the fiery Jovian satellite Io. But there are no tantalizing prospects for life in Io's proposed ocean. At something like 2000 Kelvin, the ocean seething beneath Io's volcanoes and lava lakes would vaporize the hardiest creature, for this ocean would consist of molten rock.