Io Volcano Observer

These results are expected to have direct implications for the thermal history of Europa and Ganymede as well as provide insights into other tidally heated worlds such as Titan and Enceladus.

IVO is similar to the Io Orbiter concept suggested for the New Frontiers Program by the 2013–2022 U. S. National Research Council Planetary Science Decadal Survey.

[9] The current hyperactive geology of Io is of great scientific interest in and of itself but IVO seeks to understand fundamental processes that have implications far beyond this very unusual moon.

By examining how the cold 99% of Io's crust is involved in the heat pipe tectonics, IVO may have a window into how the early Earth, Moon, and Mars operated.

Io, Europa and Ganymede have their tidal evolution locked to each other via the Laplace resonance, so the system is well-understood only if one combines measurements of all three moons.

The tons of volcanic gasses stripped from Io every second is spread widely by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field.

This is the first step in understanding how the chemistry of Io has been altered from its initial state and may provide useful clues to how atmospheres on other bodies have evolved over time.

Overall, the IVO intends to use Io as a planet-sized natural laboratory to better understand processes that are important across the Solar System and even affect exoplanets.