Exploratour - Life in the Solar System
The environment of the moons, with the exception of Io, and Titan, is one of little or no atmosphere, which means there is nothing to even out the warming of the surface by the sun. It is either burning hot, or freezing cold. It also means there is no pressure, which most terrestrial life forms require to hold their bodies intact (recall the movie Total Recall). Without an atmosphere, the lunar surfaces are also exposed extreme ultraviolet light and energetic charged particles. These materials have a tendency to break down biological cells in life as we know it.
This is page 13 of 20
This is page 13 of 20