What Is Living In Saturn's Moon?

NASA is sending a probe into a plume of vapour from one of the planet’s moons to find out what exactly is there.

17:37 29 October 2015

NASA is preparing to send the Cassini space probe to discover whether life exists on one of the Saturn’s moons, Enceladus. It is thought that it is hiding a massive ocean under its icy shell, which may support life.

 

The daring mission will see the probe zoom through the moon’s plume – a mixture of water vapour, ice grains, and volatile chemicals shot out at 1,360mph from icy geysers. Samples will be taken and will be analysed by NASA scientists.

 

Dr Curt Niebur, programme scientist on the £2.1billion space mission, said: “This incredible plunge through the Enceladus plume is an amazing ­opportunity for NASA and its ­international partners on the Cassini mission to ask, ‘Can any icy ocean world host the ­ingredients for life?’”

 

Enceladus is the sixth largest satellite of Saturn and its about a seventh of the size of our own moon.