NOV. 2, 2015 — Last week, the Cassini spacecraft dipped into an icy, liquid geyser of a faraway world circling Saturn. The spacecraft, launched from Earth in 1997, has been orbiting the ringed planet since 2004 and doing flybys of its moons. Cassini’s primary mission is to gather information about how the solar system was formed.
Once the craft approached Enceladus, a powder-white moon with turquoise stripes across a frozen surface, excitement at NASA mounted. Hundreds of geysers on Enceladus’ southern pole shoot water-like liquid miles into the air. Cassini had earlier detected salt crystals and organic molecules in the vapor above the moon’s surface.
Last week NASA ordered the spacecraft to take a deep dive 30 miles above Enceladus’ surface into a plume to see if it could confirm the presence of molecular hydrogen and possibly complex organic molecules.
Any indications of molecular hydrogen would point to the possibility of hot vents on Enceladus’ ocean floor. Ocean vents on Earth were the source of the energy and nutrients required for life to begin. Where there’s hydrothermal activity, scientists believe the possibility of life increases dramatically.
Weeks or months from now, when Cassini’s data can be fully interpreted, NASA will determine if the moon should be a priority for follow-up missions. Thanks to this probe, humans have a chance to learn if any of the building blocks for life exist nearby, in Earth’s very neighborhood.
