Exploration of Jupiter its first Large mission, replacing its contribution to EJSM, the "Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter" (JGO). The partnership for the Europa Jupiter System Mission has since ended, but NASA will continue to contribute the European mission with hardware and an instrument. The "Europa Clipper" is a mission proposed to NASA to focus on studying Jupiter's moon Europa. In March 2013, funds were authorized for "pre-formulation and/or formulation activities for a mission that meets the science goals outlined for the Jupiter Europa mission in the most recent planetary decadal survey". The proposed mission would be set to launch in the early 2020s and
Origin of the Moon Origin of the Moon The origin of the Moon is usually explained by a Mars-sized body striking the Earth, making a debris ring that eventually collected into a single natural satellite, the Moon, but there are a number of variations on this giant-impact hypothesis, as well as alternate explanations, and research into how the Moon came to be continues. Other proposed scenarios include captured body, fission, formed together (condensation theory), planetesimal collisions (formed from asteroid-like bodies), and collision theories. The standard giant-impact hypothesis suggests the Mars-sized body, called Theia, impacted Earth, creating a large debris ring around Earth, which then