Enlarge / The politics of getting to Europa are anything but straightforward. (credit: NASA) LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif.—At one end of the conference room, four large window panes framed a view of the San Gabriel Mountains. Outside, ribbons of greenery snaked across the hills, a vestige of spring before the dry summer season descends upon Los Angeles. Inside, deep in discussion, a dozen men and women sat around a long, oval-shaped wooden conference table.