That's where our virtual testbed for cryobots comes in. We use close-contact melting theory to estimate the descent rate, and hence trajectory, of a cryobot in a given cryoenvironment. We test our trajectory model for various cryobots in analogous terrestrial scenarios in Antarctica and elsewhere.
We also rely on geodynamical models from our colleague Ina Plesa at @DLR to make predictions about the transit time of a cryobot on Jupiter's moon Europa. 🧵3/4

Some icy moons, such as Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Enceladus, are prime targets for the search for extraterrestrial life that might originate in the oceans beneath their ice crusts. Any conclusive search for biosignatures must penetrate and traverse the ice. That's why cryobots or ice melting probes, like the TRIPLE-IceCraft, are being developed. But to plan the missions, you need to know how much energy and time is needed to reach the subglacial water. 🧵2/4