Submitted by Rick Osmon
CASSINI SPACECRAFT DELIVERS BIGGEST REVELATION YET: A MOON OF SATURN IS HABITABLE
Newsweek TECH & SCIENCE BY
Today Earthlings came one very giant step closer to finding life elsewhere in our solar system. In the final months of its 20-year mission, the spacecraft Cassini delivered its most noteworthy revelation yet: the ocean of Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, is releasing hydrogen, an energy source for some microorganisms. In other words, that ocean is inhabitable. “Enceladus,” says Cornell University astrophysicist Jonathan Lunine, “is the place to go to look for life.” . . . Read Complete Report
YouTube ~ NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Diagram Above: Scientists on NASA’s Cassini mission determined that the slight wobble of Enceladus as it orbits Saturn is much too large for the moon to be frozen from surface to core. The wobble, technically referred to as a libration, reveals that the crust of Enceladus is disconnected from its rocky interior. Source: NASA/JPL-CALTECH
SATURN’S MOON ENCELADUS HAS A GLOBAL OCEAN BENEATH ITS SURFACE
EXCERPTS
“Saturn has more than 50 known moons, according to NASA, but one in particular has captured the attention of scientists: Enceladus. That’s because the moon has a global ocean beneath its surface, making it a prominent candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life. . . . “
“Previous data had suggested the ocean could be confined to the moon’s south polar region. However, by studying the magnitude of the wobble—known as a libration—which the moon shows when it is orbiting Saturn, the team concluded that the liquid ocean likely covers the entire core of the moon.” . . . Read Complete Report
NASA finds hints of life-sustaining ocean features on Saturn’s moon Enceladus
YouTube ~ PBS NewsHour
