Saturn’s moon Enceladus has puzzled scientists since its discovery because of its strange nature and the fact that it contains some secrets that scientists expect will be key to discovering evidence of extraterrestrial life.
In 2005, NASA’s Cassini-Huygens spacecraft discovered an important indicator near the planet Saturn, specifically on the moon Enceladus, which scientists considered as “close to discovering life in space.”
A mysterious ocean may contain great secrets
At that time, the Cassini spacecraft found evidence that plumes of water ice were erupting from Enceladus, and took pictures that show clear evidence that these plumes were erupted from the moon’s south pole region.
Subsequent studies, focused on this exciting discovery, suggested that these plumes originated from an underground ocean on Enceladus, located under an icy crust that hides many secrets, as it could contain the ideal conditions for life in space.
A problem that Cassini encountered prevented it from discovering the truth of the ocean
The Cassini spacecraft faced a problem that prevented it from continuing to discover this mysterious ocean, as the spacecraft lacked the necessary equipment and tools to enable it to explore this strange moon.
And scientist Richard Mattis and his research team, from the University of California, tried to conduct several experiments to see if a future mission would be able to do this, that is, to explore the lunar ocean.
Future missions may succeed in carrying out the mission
According to the new study published in the scientific journal “newscientist”, the researchers carried out a simulation of a landing process on Enceladus, by firing ice particles on a metal plate with a gas cannon at a speed of several kilometers per second, which the spacecraft may be exposed to when flying through the pillars. Snowy on the moon.
Experiments have shown that even at speeds of up to 3 kilometers per second, the spacecraft can pick up enough materials to study on board to prove the existence of life, such as amino acids or sugars.
“Organic molecules may survive the impacts,” Mattis says, so “we should be able to detect signs of life, such as amino acids, on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, through a spacecraft passing through the moon, but without destroying the evidence in the high-speed collision.” “.
The research indicated that the spacecraft orbiting Saturn will be able to fly at speeds of less than 3 kilometers per second when passing through Enceladus to sample the ice columns, and the slower it is at the speed of 200 meters per second, the more efficient the sample capture process. .
Indications that scientists have monitored for the presence of life on Enceladus
According to the “nature” magazine, Saturn’s moon Enceladus contains a subterranean ocean, which may be covered with complex organic molecules that could serve as a starting point that confirms the existence of life in space.
Plumes of liquid water (hydrogen geysers) flow from the ocean in the southern regions of Enceladus, and these plumes fly high enough for some particles and material to escape from the gravitational pull of the young moon. Some of this material ends up around Saturn, forming Saturn’s famous E ring.