Clipper includes ice-penetrating radar, called Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON). This instrument will probe the ice for evidence of an ocean while also capturing other information about the ice itself, such as thickness and structure. REASON will also map Europa’s surface topography and composition and look for water plumes emerging from the ice.

 

Dustin is a member of the REASON science team – a journey that dates back to his PhD work at the University of Texas with Donald Blankenship, leader of the Clipper radar team.

 

"If you told 18-year-old me I’d be going to Cape Canaveral to watch the launch of a NASA Flagship Mission, that I was part of both the science and engineering of, I think I’d be beside myself with joy and disbelief," states Dustin.