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Saturday, August 26, 2000 Saltwater ocean discovered on Europa Europa Credit: NASA A saltwater ocean, at least 4.5 miles deep, was discovered beneath the surface of the jovian moon, Europa by NASA's Galileo probe recently. The discovery was made after the probe sent back readings of a fluctuating magnetosphere. The magnetic pattern is associated with tidal flexing caused by the powerful pull of Jupiter. "The evidence that Europa's field varies temporarily, strengthens the argument that a liquid ocean exists beneath the present-day surface," said Margaret Kivelson of the University of California, who wrote the report published in Science. What does this mean for the Mars terraforming effort? (More info: CNN.com) @ 19:13 EST