Enceladus – Spaceflight Now

New discoveries raise prospects for life on moons of Jupiter and Saturn

April 13, 2017

Scientists announced Thursday that measurements from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft detected hydrogen gas, a key energy source for microbial life, in a plume gushing from a vast liquid water ocean buried beneath the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Study suggests Saturn’s moon Dione has underground ocean

October 11, 2016

Scientists crunching data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft believe Saturn’s moon Dione has a liquid ocean buried 60 miles under a thick icy shell, potentially adding to a growing list of ocean worlds in the frigid outer solar system.

Saturn’s moons align for cosmic photo opportunity

December 15, 2015

NASA has released an image of Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Tethys caught in a rare alignment by the Cassini spacecraft, which is heading for its final close encounter with the icy moon Enceladus Saturday.

Cassini images just a taste of Enceladus flyby science return

October 31, 2015

Days after a fleeting plunge through the icy plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is broadcasting tantalizing data back to Earth for scientists eager to address the moon’s prospects for life.

Cassini survives daring flight through plumes of Enceladus

October 28, 2015

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft radioed home Wednesday after a high-speed dash through the wispy fountains of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, sampling particles that hold telltale hints whether alien life could survive somewhere in the depths of a vast global ocean hidden beneath a crust of rumpled ice.

Q&A with Jonathan Lunine on Enceladus’ prospects for life

October 27, 2015

On the eve of the Cassini spacecraft’s deepest pass through the polar plumes of Enceladus, Spaceflight Now’s Stephen Clark spoke with Jonathan Lunine, a member of the mission’s science team from Cornell University, about what he hopes to learn from the encounter.

Cassini transmits home first views of Enceladus’ north pole

October 19, 2015

Rushing past Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus at dizzying speed, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft took its first pictures of the captivating object’s sunlit north pole last week, revealing cracks in the moon’s frozen crust and crater fields extending dozens of miles across.

Looking for ET in the waters of Mars and Europa

September 30, 2015

The discovery of intermittent flows of liquid water on Mars, announced with great fanfare Monday, makes the red planet the leading candidate for the near-term discovery of extraterrestrial life in the form of fossilized microbes or even existing microorganisms, NASA’s chief scientist told lawmakers Tuesday.

Diverse destinations considered for new interplanetary probe

April 6, 2015

Science teams from across the United States have submitted 28 proposals for missions to explore the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, touch the asteroid-like satellites orbiting Mars, visit unseen worlds and hunt for objects that could strike Earth one day.