Tracy Drain
Aerospace engineer and chief engineer for NASA's Europa Clipper mission at JPL, with two decades of experience building robotic spacecraft and serving as a National Geographic Explorer.
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Mar 30, 2026 • 50min
The giant spacecraft on its way to Jupiter's icy moon
Tracy Drain, aerospace engineer and chief engineer for NASA's Europa Clipper with two decades at JPL and a National Geographic Explorer, talks about the giant spacecraft's big solar arrays, why it must be large, and the clever flyby trajectory using gravity assists. She explains radiation shielding, autonomous fault protection, instruments that probe Europa's ice and ocean, and the timeline to reach Jupiter's icy moon.
