Space · How it works
Europa: a submarine under the ice
Go down a melt hole in a submarine into Europa's dark ocean: up to 300 m of black water, black smokers, leviathans and electric eels.
In the game
How to get it
Build a Submarine, fly to Europa and choose the landing place Melt hole at your ship's navigation table: the shuttle sets down beside open water through the ice (one hole every 2.5 km; the leads of a chaos region too). Put the submarine down on the water, sit at the helm: Shift dives, Space rises.
What it is for
The ocean is where Europa's life is -- the leviathan whose shed scales give jovite, the eels -- and the black smokers glowing on the floor.
Why it exists
A world whose surface is only a lid: the game's first ocean you cannot see from above.
The same text the game shows in its progress tree and on the item's sheet (I).
Europa hides an ocean under its ice -- the submarine is the way in.
Diving
- In the submarine you breathe: its cabin holds its air, at the helm as in the other seat.
- Its sealed cabin also holds the ocean's weight (0.15 atm a metre): a suit alone is crushed below about 20 to 27 m, where the leviathans swim.
- Under water it holds its depth; it noses along the ice ceiling, it never leaves the water.
- Its lamp lights the dark ahead; the motor runs on its battery (8 kWh), a hand crank when it is flat.
What is down there
- The crust's rough underside and its icicles, 12 to 40 m of ice above you.
- A floor of dark rock with ridges, 30 to 160 m up from the bottom of the world.
- Black smokers: glowing chimneys, the only light.
- The Europa's leviathan and packs of electric eels.
Progress
The step is done the moment you are under the crust, in the ocean (in the submarine or holding your breath).
On the progress path
JU2Jupiter and EuropaMain path
- BeforeJU1 · Jupiter's orbit: gravity assist
- This stepJU2 · Europa: a submarine under the ice
- NextJU3 · Leviathan scales or lightning probe
Sub-actions (counted in your progress)