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Cassini Could Find Signs of Life on Enceladus

Posted by kdawson on from the buddy-can-you-spare-some-methane dept.

New Scientist reviews the possibility that the Cassini probe might be repurposed to look for signs of life on Saturn's enigmatic moon Enceladus. "[Enceladus' water vapor] plume's origin is still being debated, but some models suggest the moon holds an ocean of liquid water beneath its surface. This ocean could be a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life. ... Though the probe was never designed to look for life, it could do so by studying organic chemicals such as methane in the plume, the team says."

3 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. New close-up pictures of Enceladus taken last week by sighted · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just a few days ago, Cassini buzzed close by Enceladus and took high-res shots of the fissures where the geysers originate. Earlier this month during an even closer pass, the spacecraft took direct samples of the plume.

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  2. Re:Just imagine what could be there by snowraver1 · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is a lot of heat that gets created from tidal action. The gas giants have such intense gravity that it warps the surface of the moons as they rotate around the planet. This shifting of the moon creates a lot of heat. Enough to have liquid water? Who knows.

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  3. Re:New close-up pictures of Enceladus taken last w by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 3, Informative

    The original story is at CICLOPS. (I spent all day Saturday helping get that stuff together.)